Ice May Not Be So Bad
by MarblesG
Summary: The team, minus Zuko, are down in the South Pole for a celebration. Toph has to rely on Sokka to be her eyes on the ice and they learn more about each other than ever before, thanks to a little game. Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar The Last Airbender. (This story was on my Tumblr but I decided that it should be on here as well.)
1. Chapter 1

The cold air brushed her soft cheeks. Toph continued to shiver, her face tinted pink due to the cold. She sniffled and growled in annoyance.

"Come on Toph. It isn't that bad." Katara told her friend.

Toph fought back fiercely. "Easy for you to say. You've actually lived here."

Toph sensed someone scoot closer to her. "Here. Have this blanket." She took it quickly and wrapped it around her tiny figure.

"About time, Snoozles. I was about to freeze my feet off."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Well if you would actually wear the boots we offered, you wouldn't have to worry about your feet."

"I refuse to cover my eyes." Toph buried her feet deeper into the blanket. "How much longer, Twinkle Toes?"

They had been flying for the past three hours. In total, it took the group about a week to reach the South Pole. A celebration was being held for team avatar, minus Zuko who had firelord duties to attend to. Thanks to the help offered by the Northern Water Tribe, the South Pole was finally nearing its completion after four years since the war ended. It was time for celebration and, of course, Katara and Sokka were to be honored guests, along with Aang and Toph. Once the group had received the invitation, they left right away.

"I can already see the village. You were right, Katara. The improvements are amazing." Aang informed his friends.

"Sokka and I have visited a couple times and each time we come, things get better and better. I can't believe it's practically done!" the waterbender exclaimed.

"The only thing I can't believe is that there is no earth in this place!" Toph added.

Sokka only shrugged. "Toph, the entire place is ice. Deal with it."

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Appa started to descend. "We're here!"

The bison landed on the ice next to two awaiting figures. Aang jumped gracefully off of Appa with Momo on his shoulders. Katara and Sokka slid down Appa's legs and ran towards the two people.

"Gran-Gran! Dad!" the siblings yelled together. The four embraced tightly for a couple seconds. They released each other.

"Oh my, look how much you have grown." Gran-Gran complimented Katara. The waterbender was now eighteen and was the perfect beauty. Her coat hugged the prominent curves she had and her face beamed gracefully.

Hakoda quickly grabbed his son by the shoulders. "You are quite the warrior!" Sokka had grown a couple inches, now standing as tall as his father. His face was now toned and masculine, along with his arms and legs. The twenty year old was no longer the scrawny boy when he first met Aang.

"I've been working out." Sokka informed the group as he flexed.

Aang came from behind and wrapped an arm around Katara's waist. He was now taller than his lover. Thanks to rigorous training, the sixteen year old avatar was more muscular. Yet, he maintained his skinny figure. "Katara is quite beautiful."

"Welcome back, Avatar Aang." Gran-Gran greeted formally. Aang bowed politely to show respect.

"Wait a minute. I thought you said there was going to be four of you?" Hakoda questioned.

Sokka instantly remembered. He turned back towards Appa and yelled upwards towards the saddle. "Toph, come down here!"

A demanding voice answered back. "No!"

"Come on, Toph. Don't be ridiculous." Katara screamed back.

"The only thing ridiculous is you, Sweetness!"

Katara's face reddened and started making her way back towards the bison. Aang, however, stopped her. "Let's let Sokka handle this Sweetie."

Surprisingly, Katara complied with her boyfriend's wishes. "Let's just go inside and warm up."

With that, the four headed towards a nearby ice cottage. Sokka was left by himself, standing near Appa and put with the task to retrieve his best friend. He sighed and hurriedly made his way back into the saddle. Toph was still in the same position, wrapped in her blanket. Sokka eyed her for a minute. The master earthbender was no longer a child. Being sixteen, her womanly figure was starting to appear. Like Katara, the blue coat she had on hugged her curves. She was taller now, but was still the shortest out of the group. The blue she had on at the moment really seemed to make her eyes the star of her appearance. Her face was becoming more woman-like and Sokka could finally see that his best friend was quite beautiful. He would never tell her that thought, in fear of being punched into the ground. Her milky green eyes shined like emeralds. Sokka would stare from time to time; just long enough before Toph would notice him staring. Toph had a blue water tribe coat and warm pants on. Even her headband was switched to match, packing her hair into its usual bun. There was only one thing missing: boots.

"Stop being stubborn. Just put on the boots, Toph." he urged her.

The girl spun around till her back was faced away from him. "I told you I despise shoes."

"Then tell me. Would you rather wear warm, comfortable shoes or have your feet chopped off after they have frozen solid?" Sokka asked forcefully.

Toph just continued to be difficult. "I'd rather leave this frozen wasteland."

"Will you stop being so challenging?"

"Not until I'm warm."

Sokka slapped his forehead and quickly thought. "Well, the quicker you put on the shoes, the quicker we can get to the fire inside the cottage!"

Toph's face remained in a scowl. She sat like that for a good minute until she turned around and scooted closer towards Sokka. "Fine." She stuck out her feet to him. "Put them on."

"You aren't helpless. Put them on yourself!" Sokka said as she pushed her feet away from his face.

Toph sighed. "I have a case of laziness. If you don't put them on, we will be up here forever."

Sokka groaned and aggressively grabbed the boots that sat at the edge of the saddle. He took one of the boots and slipped it onto Toph's right foot. His hand brushed against her bare skin and he had to admit that it was pleasantly soft. He took the other boot and slipped it on her left.

"There. Now can we go?" Sokka asked annoyed.

The earthbender smirked. "Let's go, Snoozles."

The two slid down Appa's tail. The instant contact that Toph made with the ice she gasped silently. It was slippery and it was so foreign to her. She stood carefully in one spot and remained unmoved.

Sokka, who had instantly started walking towards the cottage, stopped when he sensed that he wasn't being followed. He turned around and found his best friend still mounted to the same spot.

"Toph, come on!"

Toph's words came out nervous, and Sokka caught it. "Uh, ok."

Sokka tilted his head. Toph walked clumsily and slowly in some direction that was not towards him. She seemed lost. The water tribe warrior approached her once more.

"The cottage is to your left, Toph."

Toph's cheeks blushed slightly with ebaressment. She quickly shook it away and scowled. "I'm just walking around, alright? We were on Appa for the past three hours. My legs fell asleep." She turned to her left and started walking. Her steps were the same, clumsy and slow. Soon enough, Toph had passed the cottage altogether. Sokka ran after her.

"What is wrong with you? You passed the cottage already."

"I did?" She had tried to say it to herself, but Sokka caught her small voice. Finally it clicked.

"You can't see can you?" he questioned stupidly.

Toph scowled once more. "Meathead, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm blind? You can be such an idiot sometimes."

Suddenly, a gloved hand grabbed her own gloved hand. "I guess I'm going to have to help you see around here. Don't worry, I know where to go anywhere in the village."

She had squeaked at the touch. Thankfully, Sokka hadn't noticed. "Whoopdie doo. Lucky me." She tried to maintain her strong demeanor. Sokka hauled her towards the cottage. Along the way, he looked back and couldn't help but smile.

"Are you blushing?"

"I am not! It's just really cold! Can we just get to the cottage already!" she fought back.

Sokka looked back forward, unaware that Toph only turned a deeper shade of red.


	2. Chapter 2

Toph and Sokka finally made it into the cottage. The sight that welcomed them was everyone circling around a fire and laughing. It brought a smile to Sokka's face. He felt at home. It was absolutely comforting.

"I see you two finally decided to join us." Hakoda greeted the two of them.

Sokka didn't let go of Toph's hand. "Yeah. We could have been here earlier if someone wasn't being so difficult."

From behind him, he heard a snort. Toph had an irritated look plastered on her face. Sokka lead them to join in the circle. They sat down and Toph felt relieved. The heat of the fire hit her face and she felt warmth rush through her body, something she had longed for. She even let herself grin in satisfaction. Sokka let go of her hand and Toph suddenly panicked within herself. She quickly wrapped her arms around his left arm. Sokka looked to her and sensed a small amount of fear within his best friend's grasp. He didn't speak out about it.

"So you must be Toph. It is nice to meet you." Gran-Gran said for the whole group to hear. The aged woman held out her hand towards the earthbender to be able to grasp it in a friendly welcome, a tradition in the south. However, Toph just sat there, her eyes pointed towards the fire. Hakoda and Gran-Gran eyed her in confusion.

Sokka carefully pried one of Toph's arms off of his and guided her hand towards his grandmother's. Toph's eyes widened and felt a hand grasp hers tightly. She felt slightly awkward. "Um, nice to meet you too. I'm guessing you are Katara and Sokka's grandmother?"

"Well, if you would take your eyes off of the fire, you could see for yourself." the elder teased. Toph fought off a scowl in respect.

Katara's voice came next. "Gran-Gran, Toph is blind."

"Oh my! My apologies, dear."

Toph smiled at the aged woman's politeness. "It's alright. I can get around myself most of the time."

"And how do you manage to do that? Or even earthbend for that matter? I've been meaning to ask you since the invasion." Hakoda asked.

Toph turned toward's Hakoda's voice. "Earthbending is how I see. I use the vibrations in the earth to know where everything is. My feet are practically my eyes."

"Amazing!" Hakoda complimented. Toph could only smirk.

"However," Sokka interjected. "since this entire place is ice, she can't see anything. Especially with the boots on. So I, noble as I am, have taken up the task to be Toph's eyes for the entire trip!"

Toph replied sarcastically. "Oh fun."

"Come on, Sifu. I'm sure a few days down here won't be too bad. We are honored guests after all." Aang pleaded.

The master earthbender sighed. "I'm already down here. Might as well stay for the celebration."

"Yay!" Katara exclaimed. She made her way to hug Toph only to be pushed off.

"Your peppiness is sickening." Toph punched her on the shoulder and let herself smile. Katara did the same as she knew her friend was only showing affection.

The rest of the time, the group ate and told stories of their travels. Laughs were heard from the small cottage and the atmosphere was very family-like. Something Toph wasn't used to. Her parents did love her, she knew that. And she did love them back. However, it was rare that the Beifongs would ever have time to just sit with each other and talk and laugh just like what was happening right now. She could never imagine her parents doing something like that. They were always too busy trying to protect her; making sure things were perfect for their "little princess." In her head, Toph tried to visualize what it would be like to just have a normal conversation with her parents. She tried to picture herself laughing and talking with her parents, smiling and being happy. Being hugged by her mother and being tickled by her father. She never experienced things like that even as a child. It was always her protection put first.

Sokka's voice brought her out of her own thoughts. "Hey Toph, you ok there? You kinda zoned out."

Toph shook her head and answered back. "Yeah, I'm fine, Snoozles." She finally noticed the quietness in the room. "Why is it so quiet?"

"Well we are the only ones in here."

Toph turned her head left and right and tried to listen to any sounds of movement made by other human beings, but was left with no answer. All she felt was the small heat of a dying fire. "Where did everyone go?"

"To bed. You didn't notice? Don't tell me you're deaf down here too?" the water tribe warrior asked teasingly.

Toph punched his arm. She realized that she was still latched tightly on his arm. Slightly embarrassed, she loosened her grasp slightly. The earthbender gave out a yawn. "I think it's time for me to hit the hay too."

Sokka gave out a more audible yawn. "I agree. Let's go."

Sokka lifted himself up and Toph followed. He guided the both of them towards the hallway. They quietly made their way to the end of the hall. There were two rooms right across from each other.

"Alright, Toph. To your left is your room and to your right is mine."

"I have to sleep near you too? Well that's just great." Toph said. Sokka only nudged her.

"Hey, I'm the one that has to help you around here. So isn't it a good idea if I'm near you?"

Toph tugged on his arm rather roughly. "Whatever you say, Snoozles."

Sokka groaned in annoyance but quickly shook it away. He guided his best friend towards the doorway. A large cloth curtain acted as a door. Carefully, Sokka stepped into the room, hands still connected with Toph's.

"Now, Toph, watch out for the-"

_Thud._

The earthbender had tripped over the formation of ice at the bottom of the doorway and was now on the floor, face at Sokka's feet. A scowl overcame her face.

"I was trying to warn you that you have to watch out for the bump in the floor. You literally have to step into the room."

Toph got to her knees and dusted herself off of ice. "I'll step on your face, meathead."

Sokka grabbed her hands once more and helped her back to standing on her feet. "Hey, I actually tried to warn you." He started to lead them deeper into the room. As they walked, Toph felt something warm that they walked around. Sokka halted them.

"Now, here is your mat where you are going to sleep." Sokka guided her to sit down. Toph felt herself sink into some kind of material. She took of her gloves and felt around. It was fur. It was warm and Toph sighed in relief in her head as she wouldn't have to freeze through the night.

"Now, there is already a fire in the middle of the room, so be careful. Once you feel you are walking into something warmer, turn around. I think that's it. Bathroom is to your right." She sensed a weight lift off of her fur mat "I'll come get you in the morning"

"No way." she responded.

Sokka turned directly towards her. "Excuse me?"

The sixteen year old crossed her arms. "I don't trust you guiding me around anymore. I can't have you making me fall all the time. You'll make me look like a bigger idiot than you."

"Hey! I am doing a great job at guiding you around. I'm sure you would rather have me dragging you around than Katara or Aang." he tried to defend himself.

She snorted at the truth. She wouldn't hear the end of the two love birds if they were the ones to help her. Toph had no other choice. "And how will I know you won't be making me fall anymore?"

Sokka put a hand up to his chin. He thought hard. Knowing his best friend, he knew it would take a lot to persuade her into allowing him to continue to help her.

"Fine. Every time you fall, I'll allow you to ask me a question. About anything. Anything at all. Even if it's embarrassing. I'll answer your questions no matter what."

Toph pondered on this. This was her chance. To really get to know him. Plus it would give her the chance to make fun of him.

"You got yourself a deal there, Snoozles."

Sokka nodded and started to make his way towards the door. Before he could leave, he heard a voice call out to him once more.

"Get ready for the interrogation of a lifetime."

The water tribe warrior only shook his head and left the room.

Toph, guessing that Sokka was gone now, took off the thick coat she had on, leaving her in a long sleeved tunic. She kept the warm pants on but quickly kicked the boots off. The cold instantly hit her feet and she reached out for a blanket of some sorts. Toph found it and wrapped herself. She laid her head down onto the soft fur of the mat and felt warm and cozy. Comfortable, the master earthbender dozed off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When Toph woke up the next morning, she felt somewhat at peace. Her slumber was quite comfortable and she didn't even bother getting up out of her blanket. It must have been about a half hour later when a certain loud mouth burst into her room, ruining the serenity she was once experiencing.

"Good morning! We have a bright day ahead of us!" Sokka yelled throughout the room.

Toph groaned slightly and shut her eyes once more. "Well the morning was good until you ruined it."

"I will not let your comments put me down. Come on, it's time to go do stuff."

The earthbender only buried herself deeper into her blanket, head out of sight. Sokka had to admit, the gesture was quite adorable. The water tribe warrior walked over to the mat and crouched down.

"Do I have to pull someone out of bed?" Toph kicked him through the blanket. Sokka yelped. "What was that for?"

The blanket muffled her words. The only comprehendible words he heard were "You" and "Idiot." Finally, Toph emerged from the blanket, hair going every single direction, her tunic messed.

"Fine. I'm getting up." The sixteen year old sat up, slipped her boots on, and grabbed her coat, gloves and headband that were lying on the floor. She made her way towards the bathroom, surprisingly with just a few fumbles. Sokka sat on the mat that his best friend had slept and waited patiently. He messed with his boots to keep him busy. He had felt something poking into his left foot and it wasn't the most pleasant feeling. Ungracefully, Sokka pulled the boot right off and dug his hand into it. He finally found what was harassing his foot and brought it into the light. It was a small rock. It must have slipped into his boot when they were traveling and camping in the earth kingdom. That or either from when Toph launched him into a ditch the other day. The twenty year old observed and felt the rock. He smiled at a thought.

_She would love this._

Sokka slipped the rock into his coat pocket, saving it for another moment. Just in time, Toph emerged from the bathroom, coat and gloves on. However, it was her hair that caught his eye. She had on her headband, but instead of her hair being hidden in its usual bun, her long black hair was flowing down. It seemed to have lengthened all the way to stomach. He never knew that her hair was so long and looked so…silky.

Shaking his head, he brought himself back to reality. "So I see you decided to go with a different look today?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Well, my hair can keep my ears from freezing from this ice town. I'd rather not lose any of my other senses while I'm down here."

Sokka made her way towards her and grabbed her gloved hand. "Well it looks good. You should do that more often."

"Well, since you like it so much, I guess I should stop doing it." A smirk plastered on her face. Sokka only rolled his eyes.

The two left the room and made their way down the hallway. Once they entered the living room, an eruption of "good mornings" filled the room.

"What took you guys so long? Breakfast is almost ready." Katara informed them.

"Katara, it's Toph. When has she ever woke up on time?" Sokka asked his sister. The comment had earned him a punch from the earthbender behind him. A rather harsh one at that.

"Let's eat!"

Everyone gathered around the fire once more and ate breakfast. Just like yesterday, the meal was filled with much conversing and laughs. Toph even joined in the conversation and laughed along with the others. She really liked this feelling. The feeling of family.

Aang and Katara stood up. The avatar spoke. "Well, Katara and I have some planning to do for the celebration. They need approval with everything. Sokka, you and Toph need to come by the celebratory hall later. We need to decide on the lay out, as to where we are going to sit and such."

Sokka nodded. "Sure! Toph and I will be there right after we come back."

"And where are we going, captain boomerang?" Toph asked curiously.

"You'll see."

They seem to have been walking for hours. However, whenever she asked, Sokka only said it had been about twenty minutes. It must have been the difficulty of the snow. They were now climbing up some kind of hill. Toph was already tired.

"I hope you know where you are going. I'd rather not be out here when a blizzard starts." Toph warned.

Sokka just tugged on her hand. "I've lived here for almost my whole life. I think I know where I'm going."

Finally, the ground seemed to have leveled out. Toph felt the cold arctic wind hit her cheeks. "How high up are we?"

"Fairly high. But it isn't a mountain or anything."

"And what are we doing on this hill?"

Sokka smiled down towards her. "Fun."

"Fun? What kind of fun exactly?"

The water tribe suddenly let go of her hand, allowing the sixteen year old to slightly panic. She simmered down when she felt his hands on top of her shoulders. He ushered her to sit down.

"Just trust me, alright?"

She nodded. It was all she could do. If she had tried to refuse, Sokka may have left her out in the cold to fend for herself. Toph patiently, something so out of character, sat quietly and waited. Her highly focused ears listened to Sokka move around her. She noticed he made his way behind her. His body plopped down in the snow behind her. His arms carefully snaked their way around her waist. Toph thanked the spirits that he was behind her or else he would have caught the blush that appeared on her face.

"Alright, Toph. You ready?"

Toph shrugged. "No, because I don't even know what to be ready for."

"Good enough for me!"

Instantly, Sokka forced them forward and Toph felt the ground beneath them dip down. Their bodies angled downwards and they started to slide on very slick ice. They picked up great speed and the wind blew in their faces. Toph couldn't help but clutch onto the water tribe warrior's arms and hang on for dear life. She even let herself scream girlishly. Behind her, Sokka was yelling wildly. They started to go down in a zig zag pattern. Left, right, left, right. It seemed to go on forever. Finally, Toph felt them dip down once more and were really picking up speed.

"Here comes the best part!" Sokka yelled.

Their bodies suddenly shot upwards and Toph felt the ice leave them. She screamed louder as they flew through the air. Sokka had completely let go of her and Toph was left to fend for herself in the air. She hated it. Every minute off of the ground. It reminded her of another time. Where she was in the air. About to die.

_"__I don't think boomerang is coming back, Toph. It looks like this is the end."_

The same tears that appeared when she was hanging off of the airship were back into her eyes. She was still in the air and had no idea where she was going to end up. Then it hit her. Like a ton of bricks. A face full of snow. In shock, she instantly tried to dig herself out and into fresh air. Her small hands clawed at the snow until her head popped into open air. Toph breathed heavily and held herself for a moment, trying to bring her body back to normal.

A voice echoed through the air. "Man, that was a blast! Don't you think so, Toph?"

She heard someone navigating through the snow, the crunch the boots caused. They came closer and closer and suddenly halted, somewhere near her.

"I kinda wanna go again. What about…what's wrong?" Sokka asked fully concerned now. He knelt down towards his best friend. "Are you hurt? What's the matter?"

Toph had ignored Sokka the entire time and just focused on calming herself down. There were still tears in her eyes. The water tribe warrior continued to pester her, trying to get her to talk. Even touching her and checking her.

Toph instantly pushed him away from her. "Get away from me!" Sokka fell into the snow. He stared in shock. The strong, stubborn and hard headed earthbender that he had known for the past four years. The girl that never showed her emotions. That girl was now holding herself and was tearing up. Guilt plagued his entire body.

The twenty year old got up and made his way back to his best friend. And if she pushed him away, he wouldn't give up and keep coming back. Sokka approached her and stood still for a moment, giving Toph the chance to push him back. When no retaliation occurred, he continued and grabbed her by the coat, instantly welcoming her into a tight embrace. They stayed like that for a couple minutes. Sokka was the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry. For whatever it was I did."

He heard a sniffle and it only broke his heart more. Her voice was small, something he didn't hear before. "You let me fall."

Sokka was confused. He expected her to be mad. Furious. Hitting him to no end. But no. The complete opposite was happening. She was hurt in a way.

"I'm sorry. I really am." Sokka tried to think of something to lighten the mood. "Hey! That means you get to ask me a question. Remember?"

Toph pushed him away, but this time she was smirking. "You are in for it now, meathead."

"You are probably the only person that can scare me." He chuckled. Sudden realization hit him. "Spirits! We still have to meet Aang and Katara." He took her hand and started to haul her away.

"We are going to get killed."

They were in fact practically killed by Katara herself. She had yelled at them when they first appeared. Toph, being back to her old self, fought back and the girls were on no talking terms throughout the entire time they were planning. Even as they were back at the cottage eating dinner, the two girls refused to speak to each other. Just like the first time it happened, Sokka and Aang just watched from the sidelines. The atmosphere was so tight that dinner finished early and everyone walked to their rooms silently.

Thus, here the two were. Sokka and Toph were sitting in Toph's room, enjoying the warmth of the fire. It was silent, but comfortable.

"So are you and Katara ever going to make up?" Sokka asked hesitantly.

Toph hugged her knees. "You know Sugar Queen is too nice to hold a grudge. She will give in."

Sokka laughed and Toph couldn't help but catch it. The two best friends laughed loudly and it took them about a minute to calm themselves down.

Changing the subject, Sokka spoke out. "So, did you figure out the question you wanted to ask me?"

Toph brought her hand to her chin and pondered. Finally it came to her. "What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you?"

Sokka sighed. He had to tell her. "Before the end of the war, while we were camping out, Zuko came into my tent and I, expecting Suki, was sprawled on the floor in the most seductive position and a rose in my mouth. Awkwardest moment of my life."

"If that were Zuko, I would have wished I were blind." She forced a chuckle out. In pure honesty, she wished that Suki hadn't been part of his most embarrassing memory. Toph liked Suki. She was strong and determined. Not afraid to fight. However, she would deny it till the day she died, she felt a twang of jealousy.

"Well it's a good thing you are. That way you couldn't have seen it if it had been you to enter the tent. " He laughed. His tone stayed sincere as he continued to speak. "Now, can I ask you a question?"

Toph raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Sure, Snoozles."

"Why did you freak out so bad when we went sliding today?"

Toph's heart beat sped up. She had hoped the entire day that Sokka would just forget about her burst of emotion today. She quickly came up with something. "Well, you let me fly into the air and I couldn't see a thing. Idiot."

Sokka was still confused. "Yeah, but you would have usually just gotten super mad at me. Yet, you cried. Why is that?"

_Dang it. _She was completely caught. She couldn't lie now. "It reminded me of a bad time."

"Hm?"

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Do you remember when on the airship? Right before Suki rescued us?"

Sokka nodded. However, Toph just sat there. The water tribe warrior smacked his forehead. He forgot of her blindness once more. "Yeah, what about it?"

"When I was flying in the air, I felt like I was hanging off the airship again." Her voice softened. "I was scared. I had no idea what was going on when I was hanging by my fingers. I felt like I was going to die. And I felt like that today."

Silence filled the gap between the two. No one said a word. It lasted for about a minute.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Sokka whispered to himself.

"Why are you calling yourself stupid? Not that you aren't." Toph smirked.

"It was my fault since I decided to take you sliding down the ice. My fault you felt scared. My fault you cried. And my fault if you had fallen off the airship that day."

Toph's hand seemed to have a mind of its own and placed it on his arm. "Don't worry about it. I'll just have to toughen up."

Sokka smiled. "I don't think you can get any tougher Ms. Blind Bandit."

"That's what I like to hear."

Toph heard Sokka start to move. As if he was looking for something. She heard a short "Aha!" come from the water tribe warrior. He seemed to have found what he was looking for.

"Take off your glove and stick out your hand."

She obeyed and held out her now bare left hand. He dropped something into her hand and she instantly beamed with a smile.

"Earth!" Toph pulled the rock towards her chest and felt it all over. It felt like home.

Sokka grinned in satisfaction. "Just when you're feeling disconnected while you are down here."

"Thank you, Sokka." The tone was the sincerest that he had ever heard.

"You're welcome, Toph."


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Toph, it isn't that bad."

"It is when you're my partner."

"Oww you stepped on my foot!"

Toph just continued with practice. There was about five days before the celebration would take place and being honored guests, the gang had to all be able to dance in front of a crowd. Formal dancing wasn't foreign to Toph. Being raised within a high class family, she had attended dance classes since she was four. She knew how to step and glide and all else that came with formal dancing. However, as they say, it takes two to tango.

Sokka groaned. "You so did that on purpose!"

"You have no proof. Now will you do it right this time. I'm getting tired of your amateur talent." Toph demanded.

"Hey, at least I'm doing better than Aang. He keeps tripping over his own feet. Who is Mr. Fancy Feet now!"

They positioned themselves once more. The beat of the music echoed throughout the large ballroom and the couple set off going with the music. Sokka led for the first half of the song, but soon he started to fumble. Toph sighed and decided that she would have to help. She led and just as the song was about to end, Sokka stepped the wrong way, causing Toph to be pulled in some direction.

"We were almost done and you just had to ruin it." Toph scolded her partner.

Sokka crossed his arms across his chest. "It doesn't help with you yelling at me all the time."

The earthbender tossed her hands in the air in frustration. "I wouldn't have to if you would just do it right!"

Not wanting to get into a full blown argument, Sokka just shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, alright. Let's just try one more time."

Toph stepped towards his voice, her face scrunched in annoyance. Sokka moved his arms and tried to figure out where to put them again. After about a minute of nothing happening, Toph figured that the water tribe warrior was having difficulty once again.

"Do I need to show you again?"

Sokka gave a nervous smile. "Yes, please."

Toph brushed her hand over her face. _Calm thoughts, Toph. Calm thoughts._ She stood for a minute and readied herself.

"Alright, give me your hand."

Sokka casually held out his left hand so that his best friend can do what she needed to do. Toph grabbed out and grasped his hand. The water tribe warrior instantly felt the contact of the hard calloused skin that covered her palm. He found it something to admire. She was only sixteen and had mastered earthbending and created metalbending. Her hands were the marks of her success. Sokka didn't know anyone else who had the strength to do what she had done in the last four years.

"Do you want to tell me why your heart is racing right now?" Toph asked.

Sokka shook his head out of his admiration. "Uh, it's nothing. Continue."

Toph took his hand and slowly snaked it around to her lower back. The feeling of Sokka's hand running on her body made her own heartbeat race. She didn't know why, maybe being the long forgotten crush she had a couple years back, but Toph felt nervous. Nervous for what? She didn't know. Toph gulped. On the other end, Sokka's heart was now pounding in his chest. The gesture that Toph made allowed him to feel the slight curve of her hip. Toph wasn't a little kid anymore. Definitely.

"So, you just put your hand there." Toph's voice seemed to have lost its abrasiveness. "Then I put my hand on your shoulder, like this." Gently, her hand was placed on his left shoulder. There was muscle, muscle that didn't exist years ago. It made her feel safe. As if it told her that he would always protect her. He always did. Even back then.

The water tribe warrior liked the warmth of Toph's hand that appeared on his shoulder. In that moment, he felt the need to just scoop her up and hold her. But he restrained himself. He found his voice and spoke up. "And then what?"

Toph glanced up in the general direction of his head. Sokka stared down and his blue eyes met her milky green ones. If Sokka didn't remember that she was blind, he could have sworn that Toph was staring right at him. They barely made eye contact. It was a new feeling. He continued to stare at her as she talked.

"Then we just…hold with our free hands." He watched as she grabbed his remaining hand. Again the contact made both their heartbeats race. Slowly, Sokka found his head lowering and getting closer to hers. Toph just remained still, her eyes still pointed towards him. Closer and closer and soon they would be…

"Guys!"

The couple jumped. Sokka turned towards the voice. Toph did the same but tripped over Sokka's foot and was on her way to the floor. She fell with a small thud and Sokka was instantly to her side.

"Spirits! How did you fall?"

Toph pushed the water tribe warrior away from her. "Your big fat platypus-bear feet were in my way, that's how!" The earthbender heard steps coming towards them.

"Are you alright Toph?" Katara asked concerned.

Aang followed his girlfriend. "What happened Sifu?"

Toph helped herself up and was back standing. Sokka did the same and the two were now facing the lovers in front of them.

"Why did you yell at us, Aang?" the twenty year old asked slightly irked.

"Oh! I was going to tell you guys that Katara and I finally mastered the dance! What about you guys?"

"Not even close thanks to the idiot with two left feet." Toph crossed her arms and scowled.

Sokka eyed her. "Hey! I'm a warrior, not a fancy dancer."

"Before you guys go at it, may I just tell you that Gran-Gran called us for dinner." Katara informed them.

The best friends just scrunched their faces. In sync they said, "Fine. Let's go."

Hand in hand, Katara and Aang quickly left the ballroom. Sokka grabbed Toph's hand and led them out of the ballroom, just as the other two had. They walked rather slowly past the cottages. A silence loomed over the two, and it was rather awkward.

"What was your first kiss like?" Toph suddenly asked.

Sokka looked back towards her. He had halted his steps completely and they stood in the middle of the snow. "Come again?"

"You tripped me and made me fall. Thus, I deserve my question to be answered." Toph said confidently.

He noticed that the earthbender's face didn't have a smirk or a mischievous intention in mind. Toph actually looked curious. Sokka couldn't argue. He did make a deal.

"I didn't make the first move. She did. She kissed me and caught me off guard. Nonetheless, the feeling was…different. It's your first kiss, so of course you don't know what to expect. But if you share it with the right person, it will feel amazing."

Toph didn't speak immediately. She let what he had said sink in. Sokka could only wait. After about a minute, Toph held out her hand, telling him that they should continue. He took her hand and continued on the path.

"I wouldn't know." she said from behind.

They had finally reached the cottage and Sokka stopped them before entering. He looked back again. Her expression had a hint of sadness in it, something that probably only he could see. So he did what he thought would cheer her up.

Lowering his head, he kissed her on the cheek. Toph's eyes widened and after his lips left her cheek, she raised a hand towards it.

"What was that for?" She asked curiously.

He seemed to grasp her hand tighter. "You will know. Someday. With that one person."

Sokka pulled them into the cottage. She was still dazed.

Although it wasn't her first kiss, it still felt amazing.


	5. Chapter 5

Toph opened her eyes and felt the warm fur blanket around her shoulders. Sleeping was probably the only time she felt really warm. The South Pole had her freezing her toes off, literally. With the fur blanket and other fur sleeping garments, the sixteen year old felt completely comfortable, even making her late to breakfast most times.

Deciding that she should get up before someone else forced her, Toph sat up and stretched. As she did, she felt her foot run into something.

"Careful with the kicking there."

Toph turned her head in the direction of the voice. "Why are you in here already?"

Sokka sighed. "Well, today was an early start. With four days remaining till the celebration, Katara ordered everyone up. She tried waking you up, but you wouldn't budge."

"I thought I heard nagging in my dream." She scratched her head, her hands getting tangled in her long hair.

"Well, we shouldn't anger her any longer. Today's probably the most fun of the planning." Sokka said excitedly.

Toph removed the fur blanket and crossed her legs. She had a bored expression on her face. "And that would be?"

"Well, today we are going to-" Sokka turned around and couldn't help but halt his speech. He stared at his best friend. She was wearing a tank top and warm pants that were quite tight on her. Because she favored to wear loose clothing on most occasions, Sokka hadn't really seen the curves that Toph had developed the past years. However, looking at her now, Sokka knew that his best friend had grown into a woman right before his eyes. Her waist was much thinner and emphasized the curves above and below them. Her hips were perfect and well rounded, easy to grab. Her legs were toned yet beautiful. Same with her arms, but her skin seemed to gleam and Sokka could tell that it was soft and smooth. Sokka even gazed his eyes over her chest but quickly turned away before he got any ideas. Even if he had seen them for a fraction of a second, Sokka knew that she really grew out.

"Uh, Sokka?" Toph raised an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

Sokka closed his eyes the rest of the time. "Um, today we have to pick out food for the celebration. Taste testing and all."

"How come you don't sound so excited anymore?" Toph asked suspiciously.

Sokka shook his head. "What are you talking about? I'm so excited! This face is of an excited person."

Toph let her head rest on her hand. "Yeah, because I can tell."

The water tribe warrior quickly remembered. "Oh…yeah. Sorry."

Toph mumbled a "whatever" and started putting her boots on. She stood up and grabbed her clothing. "I'll be out in a minute." The earthbender started on her way to the bathroom and on the way Sokka's eyes followed, diverted to other places. It seemed that Toph had also started walking more feminine, making other parts of her body pop as she took each step. The twenty year old couldn't pull away this time.

_The spirits were kind to her._ He thought. Soon, she disappeared into the bathroom and Sokka was free of her spell. He was nervous now. How was he supposed to get through a day knowing _that's _under her coat?

_Today is going to be a long day._

After she had gotten dressed, Sokka lead the both of them out of the cottage. They were now walking towards celebration hall, her hand in his. Toph noticed strange behavior from the water tribe warrior. He seemed distant from her, their arms stretched at full length from each other. It was starting to annoy her.

Finally, they had reached the hall and were welcomed by many chefs and waiters. It was quite overwhelming.

"Hey guys! Over here!"

Sokka turned towards the voice and found Aang and Katara waving to them, urging them to take a seat next to them. Carefully, Sokka lead him and Toph towards the couple and sat down.

"Where have you guys been?" Katara asked.

Sokka just responded plainly, "Toph took a while to get up." Toph just shrugged.

Katara crossed her arms. "Nothing hasn't changed, has it Toph?"

"And it never will so you might as well get used to it." the eartbender responded.

Toph had her head down towards the table. Something was still off. She could hear someone scooting away from her to her right. She took her best guess, and said it was Sokka, considering he was avoiding her the entire morning. Toph was going to figure out what his problem was, if it was the last thing she did.

Plan A.

Toph stealthily grabbed her set of chopsticks off the table and slid them till they fell to the ice below. The clanking sound got the attention of the twenty year old beside her and he turned around.

"Oh, I'll grab that for you, Toph."

The sound of his coat moving signaled to Toph that it was her turn to make her move. "I can grab it myself." She moved down and felt the ground for the chopsticks. Successfully, she found them, only to find someone else's hand atop them. Their hands touched for a brief moment. The master earthbender expected the very thing that happened. Sokka pulled his hand away speedily, as if the touch had burned him. Toph picked the chopsticks up and sat back up.

"Mhm…."

Plan B.

The first course was brought to the four war heroes. It consisted of light coleslaw consisting of the freshest vegetables. It suited the air nomad at the table perfectly. Sokka on the other hand quickly rejected it. Toph could hear a "yuck" come out of his mouth.

She turned towards him, bowl and chopsticks in hand. She stuck a chunk of the coleslaw into her mouth, exaggerating her movements.

Sokka stared at Toph eating. As she wrapped her mouth around the food, he couldn't help but think, _her lips look so soft._

"Come on, Sokka. Try it. It's pretty good." Toph grabbed a mouthful of the food and stuck the chopsticks out towards him. When they were kids, Sokka and Toph often would share food. They had no problem sharing utensils and would make each other try different foods. Aang and Katara would just gag at them, thinking they were animals, but they didn't care. However, this time was different.

Sokka turned back towards his food. "Uh, I think I'll just try my own serving."

Toph turned towards the table and helped herself to the food that had meant to be for Sokka.

"Hmm…."

Plan C.

This plan seemed to happen on its own.

They had just finished their last course and all was left was desert. The waiters brought them some sort of warm cake. The smell of chocolate and custard entered Toph's nose and she couldn't wait to eat it.

Too bad that didn't happen.

Sokka had been talking and for some reason, the boy seemed to like using hand gestures. Once of hands came a bit close to Toph's plate and caused the whole cake to fall right onto the front of her coat. Being completely blind, the earthbender didn't know what happen and went in to eat some of her cake. Her fork just clanked against the table.

"Where the spirits is my cake?" she asked a bit annoyed.

Sokka gulped nervously. "Um, it's kinda, sorta, all over your coat."

"What!?" Toph moved a finger towards the front of her coat and found that it was full of custard and mushy dessert. Everyone at the table could have sworn they started to see steam blow out of Toph's ears.

"Wipe. It. Off." she demanded.

The water tribe warrior could only cringe. _I can't clean her up. I'll be able to feel…things._"Uh. C-Can't you do it yourself?"

Toph turned all the way to her right and impressively she was able to get her eyes to lock with his. There was fire in them. "This is your fault. So clean me."

"B-But-"

"NOW."

Sokka didn't have to be told again. He instantly grabbed his napkin and started wiping the front of her jacket. He started viciously wiping the cake off of her stomach. After cleaning that area, he moved on to her chest.

As he wiped her chest, he couldn't help but notice his hands were running over some bumps. Scratch that, some mountains were more like it. His movements started to slow until finally his hand stopped right atop her breast. Sokka couldn't help himself. _When did this happen?_

Toph had been mentally calming herself down until she noticed that all movements stopped. He felt a weight atop one of her breasts. That's when she finally realized what was happening. _Someone was overstaying his welcome._

"What is your problem!?" she stood up fiercely.

Sokka finally brought himself back to reality. "Toph! Wait, I can explain!"

Toph just pointed a finger at him. "No! I'm tired of the way you're acting right now! Just leave me alone you pervert!"

"Wait, Toph!"

The master earthbender turned around and started walking away. She didn't know where she was going but it was better than here.

"Please, Toph!"

A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled back. The sudden force caused Toph to lose her footing and slip on the ice below her. She came crashing down, head first hitting the ice.

Everything went black.

"Mmmm…"

Her head was thumping so bad that it rang through her body. Because of her high recognition with vibrations, the thumping in her head only hurt even more.

"Toph, can you hear me?"

The voice only caused an ache to erupt. She moaned again.

"Thank goodness you're awake."

Her milky green eyes fluttered open. It made no difference from when her eyes were closed.

"Everyone was so worried."

Toph finally recognized the voice. "What happened?"

Katara sighed. "Well, you fell."

Sudden memories flashed through her brain. Her anger boiled once again. "Sokka…" Toph sat up carefully and rubbed her head. "When I get my hands on him, he won't be able to use his stupid boomerang for the rest of his life."

She heard the waterbender chuckle. "Don't worry, I gave him quite the beating myself."

"You? Sugar Queen? I don't believe you."

"Why don't you ask the guy stuck to the wall of ice right now?"

The earthbender's eyes widened. A smirk appeared on her face. "I'm proud of you, Katara."

"Thanks, Toph." Katara moved closer to the sixteen year old's ear and whispered quietly. "Now, do you want to talk to him?"

Toph blew her bangs up her face. There was no way avoiding it now. She might as well get it over with. Sokka was her eyes while she was down here. "Fine." she huffed.

The sound of ice breaking and a gasp of air filled Toph's ears.

"Did you really have to restrain my mouth too? I could have died from lack of breathing!"

Katara just walked towards the door. "Sokka, you have bigger things to worry about." And with that the waterbender left the room, leaving a killer and a victim in the room.

Sokka nervously took in a breath of air. He shakily made his way over to Toph's sleeping mat and sat down near her feet. Whatever was to happen, he hoped that the spirits would be kind enough to let him live. He looked towards Toph. The girl had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Her eyes contained murder and it made him feel no better. Sokka decided he had to be the first to talk.

"I'm sorry."

Toph seemed to have ignored the apology completely.

"I'm really, really, really sorry, Toph. I didn't mean to touch you like that."

Suddenly, she punched him. It had to be the most aggressive punch she had ever given and he had ever received in his life. It had knocked the wind right out of him.

"Gaaaaaaah!"

"You are the most idiotic pervert I have ever had a chance to witness."

Sokka cradled his arm. _Definitely a bruise._

"You are so confusing! First you were avoiding me and then you just started to touch my boob? What the spirits was that about?" she seemed angrier than a saber tooth moose lion.

Sokka finally found his voice. "Sorry! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Just…"

"Spit it out already!" she yelled.

"You aren't a little girl anymore, Toph."

Her face instantly changed. The once scowling and fuming earthbender now had a confused look plastered on her face.

"I say this with as much honesty as I can possibly have, you are really beautiful." His voice became smaller at the end of the sentence. He was blushing like mad.

Toph cocked her head to the side. _Did he just call her beautiful?_

"We have been traveling together for ages and yet you seem to have blossomed before my eyes. Maybe I'm the blind one after all." He tried himself at a chuckle.

Toph couldn't help but let herself smile.

Sokka felt a punch hit him in the same spot as before. However, this punch was much softer and, dare he say it, sincere. He turned himself to her. A smile. A genuine smile. It perfected her face, if it wasn't already perfect enough. She looked adorable, but stunning at the same time. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

"Thank you." she said just for him to hear.

"Don't get all sappy on me now, Toph. I promise no more weird behavior." He brought himself back to his usual goofy self. "Now are you going to ask me a question? I did almost cause you to go into a coma."

Toph instantly remembered their deal and thought to herself. Her choice was much different than her previous questions.

"How are you and Suki?"

Sokka jumped a bit. He was anticipating himself for the most embarrassing question in the world. Instead, the earthbender sounded curious. It was totally out of character.

"We sorta went our separate ways after the war had ended. I just couldn't do long distance. I've been single the past four years."

Toph's head jerked in surprise. "How come I never knew?"

"I sorta kept it to myself. Katara and Aang just figured it out on their own. You just never asked."

The crush that she had on the water tribe warrior was now completely resurfaced. Knowing this information, she felt hope. _Maybe I have a chance…_

"Don't worry about it, meathead. There is someone out there for you." Her teasing had successfully covered her knew found hope.

"Yeah, I think so too." Sokka smiled. "Well, I think you should get some rest. I wouldn't want to keep you up while your head is still hurting."

The twenty year old got up and started on his way to the door. However, his best friend's voice stopped him.

"Sokka, wait." He turned around and found Toph smirking. "Who looks better, Me or Suki?"

Sokka just shook his head in laughter. "Goodnight, Toph."

"Goodnight, Sokka."

He left the room and just stood in the hallway. Sokka looked back towards her room before walking off into his own bedroom.

"You. Definitely you."


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning you two!"

Toph and Sokka walked into the room and were welcomed by everyone. Breakfast was being served and the two best friends were starved.

As they sat down, Katara asked Toph, "So how is your head, Toph?"

"I think the sleep really helped." the earthbender informed her companion.

"That's great! Now I don't have to worry about your well being."

Toph just cocked her head to the side. "I never asked you to. But thanks."

"So guess what!" the avatar's voice yelled.

Sokka and Toph just raised their eyebrows.

Aang continued. "They are planning a surprise during the celebration and we aren't allowed to see. This means that we get to do something all together!"

What the avatar didn't expect were the two best friends to groan loudly. Toph and Sokka knew that Aang meant the best when he wanted to spend time together, however, they really didn't have the time to deal with all the lovey dovey behavior and constant "sweetie's." Sometime in the past four years, Toph and Sokka had started a sweetie count. They were up to 233. Aang and Katara didn't appreciate it at the least.

"Ugh, do we have to?" Toph asked annoyed.

Katara glared at her. "It's been awhile that we have done something all together. We are going to do something today and that's final."

"And what did the lovely couple had in mind?" Sokka asked rudely. Toph just chuckled along with him.

Their laughter was only short lived as Katara flicked ice at their faces. "Can you guys just be nice?"

"That coming from the ice flicker!" Toph fought back.

Sokka supported the earthbender confidently. "Ice flicker!"

"Well I wouldn't have done it if you guys would just quit with the sarcastic comments about mine and Aang's relationship!"

Toph sat up straight. "We wouldn't have to say anything if you guys didn't taint the air so much with your ooey gooey affection!"

"Ok! Ok! That's enough. No fighting please." Aang intervened. He needed to stop the cat fight before it happened. _So close._ The two girls just crossed their arms and turned their heads away from each other. "Now, there are plenty of things we can do here that doesn't require the need for affection." The avatar pondered a moment. As he did, the girls finally calmed down and returned to facing the group. "We could go penguin sledding."

"NO!"

Katara and Aang jumped back at Toph and Sokka's quick and rather loud answer. The couple looked at them with so much confusion. Sokka gave a nervous smile. He would rather not relive their first sledding incident and he was sure Toph didn't want to tell them that she had cried.

"Penguins are stupid." The water tribe warrior answered simply.

Toph nodded her head. "Penguins are most definitely stupid."

Katara and Aang exchanged glances. "Ok…."

The four sat there in silence wondering what else they could do for the day. After much thought, Sokka was the first to speak.

"Why don't we just go spar."

Toph put her head on top of her hands. "Totally. I'll just bend my imaginary earth at your face."

"Whoops."

"Idiot."

"Well, I was about to suggest the hideout, but I'm sure that you have already taken Toph there, Sokka." Katara said.

"You and Katara have a hideout, Snoozles?"

Sokka just looked at the blind earthbender. "Now, now. Secret hideouts are pretty cool. I'm sure you use to hide in caves all the time when you were a kid."

"Anything to escape my nagging parents."

"Actually, Katara, I haven't taken Toph there yet."

Katara cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Really? I was sure that you would have taken her there the first day."

"What's so special about the hideout?" Aang asked curiously.

"It's made entirely out of earth. Probably the only earth out here for miles." the waterbender informed her boyfriend.

"What?" Toph instantly stood up. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The rest of the gang just chuckled at the smaller girl's excitement.

* * *

It only took them about fifteen minutes to reach their destination. The entrance to the hideout was all the way in the corner of the village. Because of the expansion, it took longer to get to it, not to mention all the people that wanted to talk to the war heroes. Nonetheless, they finally made it.

"Sokka, come look at this!" Katara called.

The water tribe warrior obliged and ran towards his sister, hand in hand with Toph. He crouched down to Katara's level and looked at what she was pointing at. He couldn't help but smile.

"That is probably the ugliest waterbending work I have ever seen." He chuckled.

"What is that suppose to be?" Aang said as he pointed at the deformed ice.

Katara stood up. "To keep our hideout a secret, I suggested to Sokka that I waterbended the door shut with ice. This was all I could manage."

Aang smiled. "Well it's pretty cute."

"OOGIE."

Katara just grabbed Aang's head and pulled him down for an exaggerated kiss. Sokka gagged and started banging on the ice. "The sooner we get in, the sooner I can get away from these two." Sokka kept going at the ice with his free hand until he was sure that his hand underneath the glove were red. "Gaah! Open!"

"Oh just move." Katara pushed her brother out of the way.

Toph was practically bouncing. "Come on! Hurry the waterbending up Sugar Queen!"

Without any struggle, Katara bent the ice into water and opened the wooden door that Sokka had made years ago.

Aang looked down into the hole. "It's pretty dark down there."

"Katara and I have a lantern down there. Let's go!" Sokka urged.

Katara carefully made her way into the hole and screamed slightly as she had forgotten that the entrance was a slide of ice. Aang was next and he much enjoyed the small slide down into the hole. Now, it was Sokka and Toph's turn.

"Alright, Toph. Bad news. The entrance is a short slide of ice. Think you can handle it?" Sokka asked concerned.

Toph just scoffed. "If it means I'm getting to earth, I don't care!"

Sokka just chuckled. Carefully, he positioned himself and the blind earthbender at the beginning of the slide. At once, the warrior pushed them off and they slid their way down the hole. Even within the short amount of time, Toph held on to Sokka's arms tightly, much to her embarrassment. As quickly as they had entered, the two made it to the bottom. Each of them stood up. Once Toph's boots hit the surface, she knew exactly what was beneath her shoes.

The earthbender, not even hesitating, threw her gloves off to the side and removed her boots. The instant her feet touched the stone, relief filled her body.

"That is the stuff." she mumbled to herself.

Sokka walked over to her. "Glad you feel at home, Toph." He suddenly grabbed her bare hand, as if it was automatic. "Come on! I gotta show you all the cool stuff we got down here."

"Lead the way, Captain Boomerang."

"Sokka, Toph doesn't need help anymore. There is solid earth everywhere. She can see just fine." Aang informed the best friends as he lit a lantern.

Toph could have sworn that she felt Sokka's face fall. The warrior tried to hide his disappointment quickly. "Oh. Sorry. I forgot." His hand left hers and Toph wanted to so badly reach out for it again.

"Silly goose-pig." The Avatar laughed. He went to follow his girlfriend on their own tour of the cave.

Toph and Sokka stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. The only noises they heard were the occasional laughter of Katara.

Sokka cleared his throat. "Uh, we should get to that tour."

Toph didn't know what came over her, but her hand suddenly made its way back into Sokka's grasp. The boy jumped slightly.

"My, uh, feet are still getting used to the earth. I had those stupid boots on for a long time. I may still need you to be my eyes.." She paused. "If that's ok."

Surprisingly, Sokka shifted their hold on each other until their fingers intertwined. It was such an intimate hold.

"Of course."

Her heart fluttered at the sincerity of his voice. _Totally worth the lie._

For the next half hour, the gang explored the cave. Toph and Sokka remained connected the entire time. After about a full hour, Katara came calling to gather them at once. This was the only time Sokka and Toph released their hands.

"You know, I don't remember this cave being so big." The waterbender pondered on her words.

Sokka raised a hand to his chin. "I just noticed that now."

"Well, duh, it's bigger."

Everyone turned to Toph. The sixteen year old had her arms crossed as if she knew everything.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" Katara asked.

The earthbender raised her arm and pointed down into the cave. "If you go deeper into the cave, there is this tunnel hidden on the right. You all couldn't see it, but I could. There is a really loud heartbeat coming from there."

The three whipped their heads to stare down the cave. Quickly, the four of them made their way down there and long and behold: there was a tunnel. Curiosity all filled them, as if they were children again, and the gang entered the tunnel at once. What they found caused each of them to speak.

"Oh."

"My."

"Spirits."

Toph smirked her signature smirk. "A snow badgermole."

The four just stood at the far end of the room. Almost half of the space was taken up by the white furred beast. It was lying down and was off in slumber.

"I didn't even know badgermoles could live down in the south pole." Sokka confessed.

Toph once again crossed her arms. "That's why they are called snow badgermoles, dunderhead."

The giant beast shifted its position and rolled over onto its back. The creature's breathing was deep and loud. Not one of them made a movement.

"I dare someone to touch it."

Once again, the trio all looked at the earthbender.

"You are crazy! Toph, this thing could hurt us!" Katara scolded.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck. "Not all animals are friendly you know."

"You guys are such babies! Take the fun out of everything." Toph pouted.

_She is so adorable sometimes._ Sokka smiled.

"I'll give you ten gold coins if you do it, Toph."

Her pout was replaced with glee. "You are on, Loudmouth!"

Katara and Aang shook their heads in disappointment. Toph quietly made her way towards the beast. She was steady and ready for anything the badgermole had to offer._That money is mine._

Once she was about five feet away, Toph held out her hand. Slowly, her hand inched closer and closer to the badgermoles large belly. In only a few seconds, the fur would slowly make contact on her skin.

Finally, she touched the soft white fur of the beast. Because of the colder conditions, the badgermole had a very thick coat. It was velvet soft and it was hypnotizing in a way.

"Toph, look out!"

Before she could even register what danger she was in, her body was pulled to the ground by familiar arms. A large swish in the air echoed the room as the badgermole swung its arms to and fro, pumbling Toph if she had remained standing. The creature started to turn and if Sokka and Toph didn't move soon, they would be squished under the badgermole's weight. The two started to crawl quickly. Just as the badgermole's belly was about to pin half of Toph's body under it, Sokka grabbed her by the waist and rolled over so that the Toph was on top of his body. The badgermole had completely turned over and one of its large arms trapped Toph and Sokka. The two were now snuggled by the creature's body, its arm on top of them.

They were stuck.

On top of each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Aang and Katara continued to stare at the two.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you guys going to do something?" Sokka yelled in a whisper.

The lovers continued to stare in disbelief.

Toph's face contorted into a scowl. "If you guys don't help us, you'll never be able to call each other sweetie ever again!"

The large beast shifted and put more of its arm atop them.

"Toph, will you be quiet? You are going to wake it up!" Katara hissed.

Sokka and Toph only huffed. Because they were on top of each other, the two could feel each other breathing deeply. Sokka's hands were still holding onto her waist and were stuck there. If they released the strength they were putting towards keeping their heads up, their foreheads would definitely touch and some other parts of their faces as well. Toph was trying her hardest to keep her face from flushing. Sokka wasn't doing a very good job.

"Ok, ok. What can we do, Aang?"

The avatar stuttered out, "Um, is there anyone in the village that can help?"

"Maybe my dad?"

"Alright. Ok, Sokka, Toph, we are going to get Hakoda. You two just stay still and don't make too much noise. Got that?" Aang told the two best friends.

"I'm sure we won't have a problem with the not moving part." Toph remarked.

Katara grabbed Aang's hand. "We'll be back!"

And just like that, the two best friends were left in a cave. With a badgermole. On top of each other. _He's on top of me._ Toph was thinking carefully about the situation. She had imagined herself being close to him just like this. But that was only in her dreams.

"So, how's it going?"

Toph raised an eyebrow. "I think you know exactly how it's going."

Sokka chuckled nervously. "On my end at least. I was wondering what you think about all this."

The earthbender pondered a moment. What could she say without seeming too embarrassed? After a minute she cleared her throat and spoke clearly. "I don't think it's all too bad."

The warrior on top of her jerked a bit. "Really?"

"Why? What do you think of it?" She had returned to her normal abrasiveness.

Sokka shifted slightly. He thanked the spirits that the person under her was blind so that she wouldn't have to watch his face flush bright red. "Um, it's alright. I don't really mind it."

"That didn't sound like a for sure answer. There something wrong with me or something?"

"No, no, no!" Sokka quickly interjected. "Let me put it this way. If I had to get stuck under a badgermole with anyone, I'm glad it was you."

"Now that's a good answer."

Sokka fumed. "That was supposed to be a compliment! Not even a thank you?"

"May I remind you who got us into this mess in the first place." Toph pointed out.

The water tribe warrior flinched. "Excuse me?! You were the one who went to go touch this thing!"

"But you dared me. Idiot."

"You could have refused."

Toph scoffed. "You should know me by now. I'll never back down."

Sokka was about to come back with his own counter, but her words were nothing but truth to him. "You got me there."

"So it's settled. You are the idiot."

The two remained silent. The only noise coming from the large beast breathing. Toph turned her head to the right, while Sokka went to the left. The earthbender carefully heard her best friend breathing next to her ear and each time he exhaled, it caused her ear to tingle. To add to that, her neck was exposed and her need for him to touch his lips down there only grew stronger. Toph silently wished that Aang and Katara would come back soon before she makes a fool out of herself.

"So, you think of something yet?"

Toph moved her head back forwards. "Think of what?"

Sokka gave her a look of disappointment. "Of a question. Duh."

She caught on quickly. "Oh yeah. Right. You made me fall. Give me a couple minutes."

Toph thought carefully about what she was about to ask. This had to be truthful. This had to be inescapable. This had to be the perfect question.

"Am I bother to you?"

This time, it was Sokka's turn to say, "What?"

"Did I stutter, idiot?"

"Why are you asking that, Toph?"

The way he had said her name made the butterflies in her stomach come alive. "Because I deserve a question of any kind to be answered according to our deal. Are you backing down from our agreement?"

Sokka stared straight into her eyes. "No I'm not. I didn't mean it like that. I meant, why would you ask such a stupid question?"

Toph just gave him a look. Sokka continued.

"Listen, you're my best friend, right?"

"I am?" she asked surprised.

The warrior's eyes bulged out. "You didn't know that? Are you serious? Come on, Toph. We are buds. Pals. Nobody gets me like you do. Not even Katara or Aang."

Toph thought about his words. The only answer she could compute was, "Oh."

"Anyways, back to what I was saying." Sokka cleared his throat and spoke straight to her. "You're my best friend. If you were a bother to me, why would you be my best friend? It just makes no sense, correct?"

"Yeah…" Toph said as she turned her head to the right.

"You seem unsatisfied with my answer." This time, Sokka was confused.

"It's just," She pointed her eyes in his general direction once more. "I make fun of you all the time, and insult you, and…you don't ever wish that I would just go away or something?"

"Spirits, are you going soft on me? Are you getting emotional on me? What happened to my best friend the strong and sassy earthbender?" he chuckled.

However, Toph's face showed no sign of amusement. Instead, Sokka could say that she even looked hurt.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked more sincerely.

The familiar scowl flashed over her face. And she turned her head away.

He tried once more to reach out to her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Just shut up."

"Toph, what did I do?" he sounded desperate this time.

Once again, she hissed at him. "Just shut your mouth alright."

Sokka tried searching for an answer. He had never witnessed her be so harsh. Even after all those nicknames and insults, she has never been this severe.

"I was just joking. Come on, I'm sorry."

Toph's top finally blew off. "Well I wasn't!"

Sokka shut his eyes tightly and took the yelled whisper right in the face. He knew, right then and there, that he had hit a nerve. He listened silently to sixteen year old in front of him.

"I wasn't joking at all, idiot. I was being honest. I actually felt bad and guilty. But no, funny guys over here couldn't help himself. So much for being a best friend, jerk."

"Look, I'm sorry, Toph. I didn't know. But how could I when we always joke around? Isn't that what we do? Isn't that what best friends do?"

At that moment, Toph's brain couldn't control itself. Before her mind could say stop, her mouth was already moving.

"Well, maybe I don't just want to be best friend!" she yelled.

The badgermole that they had forgotten suddenly shifted violently from the noise. Its arm that was once trapping them, moved up and the two were given the opportunity to flee. Toph instantly stood up and ran towards the other side of the cave, out of reach of the beast. She caught her breath and finally realized that Sokka was still lying on the ground, awestruck by the beast. Through the earth, she felt the badgermole raise its claws high in the air, its target a twenty year old in shock. Quickly, she flicked her wrists and pulled with her hands. The earth beneath Sokka shifted right towards her. It was just in time, as the badgermole's paw came down hard and obliterated the spot Sokka had once been in.

"Get up! We need to get out of here!" Toph yelled at him.

Sokka finally escaped his shock and stood up quickly. "Hurry! Towards the exit!"

The badgermole continued to dig into the ground and the stone walls started to cave in. Toph and Sokka started running towards exit, behind them, rocks falling. Toph tried her best to bend the rocks away from them, but the earth was falling too fast. Through her feet, she could sense the badgermole digging a tunnel and she knew that the cave wasn't going to last any longer.

"Toph! Quick, bend the rocks away from the ceiling!" Sokka shouted over the noise of the rubble.

Toph yelled twice as loud. "What good is that going to do if there is just ice covering the top?"

"Just do it!"

She did it at once and the ceiling that was once brown turned white as a sheet of ice became their ceiling.

"Now, shoot some rocks up there and try to break the ice!"

One by one, boulders upon boulder cracked the ice. Toph didn't stop and continued to pelt the ice with all her might. Below, the badgermole was starting to make its way towards them once again. _Break ice!_

The next set of events came so quickly, Toph was unsure about what exactly happened at what moment. The noise of shattering ice filled her ears and at the same time, earth erupted from below her as the badgermole had met up with them once again.

Sokka, thinking quickly, used the power of the eruption to thrust himself upwards and atop the ice. He looked back and found Toph flying the air next to the badgermole whos claws were waving in the air. The sunlight coming in through the opening of the ice was irritating the beast. It swung its long claws everywhere. Sokka feared for the worse and the image of Toph being scratched with the claws replayed in his mind.

"Toph! Reach out your hands!"

The earthbender reached with all her might and only hoped for the best. Sokka instantly reached out from the edge of the cracked ice and grabbed her right hand. He kept his eyes on their hands, trying to put all the strength in keeping his hold on her. His heart was racing and there was only one thing on her mind.

_I'm not letting her fall._

A shriek filled his ears and he had no time to register where it came from. He hoisted Toph up with all his might and the girl came closer and closer to him. He used the last of his strength to pull her all the way up. Toph made contact with the ice, but instantly fell into Sokka's arms. He caught her and panic continued to run through him. His eyes scanned her and they bulged at what he found.

Sokka picked her up bridal style and started running. His deep voice echoed throughout the village.

"Help! Help! Katara! Help!"

Toph's hands clutched Sokka's coat. Her breathing was erratic and unstable and her eyes were pinned shut. Silent streams of tears ran down her face and her mind kept playing the same phrase through her head.

_I'm safe now._


	8. Chapter 8

Sokka remained transfixed on the large bandage that was wrapped around her stomach. He didn't even care that she was there in her bindings. He just wanted to be there when she woke up, hopefully in the next couple hours.

Toph had been asleep for the past twelve hours. The amount of blood she had lost had her exhausted beyond belief. After she had lost consciousness in Sokka's arms, she had never awoken again. That fact scared Katara once she and Aang finally reached them. She would never forget the sight that approached her: Sokka with Toph in his arms and blood all over them. It made her cringe but strong enough to do her duty.

Now, the young master earthbender lay silently in her quarters, resting for what seemed like forever to Sokka. He didn't even notice someone come into the room.

"Sokka, do you want to eat?"

He shook his head. "Not hungry."

Katara raised her eyebrows. "You of all people are not hungry?"

Sokka just shrugged.

The waterbender walked quietly over to where his brother was seated at the edge of Toph's sleeping mat. She bent down and made a quick check on Toph's vitals before situating herself next to her brother. Her arms wrapped around her knees.

"I was really scared when I first saw you guys after the hideout crashed." Sokka's little sister laid her head on her brother's shoulder.

Sokka returned the favor and put his head atop hers. "I was scared when Toph didn't wake up again. She hasn't even woken up again."

Katara sighed. "She will come around, Sokka. She just needs to rest. The stubborn little brat did lose a lot of blood."

"Not funny." He scowled slightly.

"Sorry."

Sokka looked back at Toph. "Come on! Wake up!"

"Look," Katara turned all the way towards her brother. She pushed his face so that he was looking at her. "I know you are frustrated, but she really does need the rest. Although she won't show it, Toph is going to appreciate you staying by her side through all of this."

"How do you know?" Sokka looked at her confused.

Aware of Toph's affection towards her brother, Katara fixed her response carefully. "Because you're her best friend."

Katara's reply instantly caused Sokka to think about his and Toph's conversation within the cave before the incident. _Best friends._

Sokka grabbed his sister's arms gently and spoke with their eyes connected. "What do you think of Toph?"

Katara looked around the room before answering. "Um, what do you mean?"

"Like, do you like her as a person? Is she a good friend? Someone to be around with?"

His sister looked at him longer with suspicious eyes. "Toph is…uh…piece of work. She is stubborn, loud, blunt, and sometimes insensitive."

She saw Sokka's eyes die a little bit.

"But, to be truthful, sometimes we need that kind of honesty within our group. It helps us keep our heads in the game. Toph is one of the bravest people that I have had the privilege to get to know. She is a skilled bender and strong person overall seeing that she turned a disability into one of her greatest advantages. Although we don't get along all the time, I do consider her one of my closest friends and wouldn't want to lose her for anything."

Katara had to admit that it was nice to see her brother smile at her words. It had been far too long, even if it was only a couple of hours.

"Thanks, Katara. Good to know." Sokka sat properly once more eyeing Toph from the side.

"No problem, I guess." She surprised him and kissed him on the cheek. Her next words were quiet. "If this was you asking for permission to date her, I think that's really sweet of you, Sokka."

Sokka pushed her off playfully. "Alright, alright."

Katara stood up and began walking to the exit the room. "Well, I'm going to go with Aang to the celebration hall to build some decorations. If Toph is to wake up anytime I'm gone, make sure she doesn't move too much and keeps hydrated. Also, you are going to change her bandages. Think you can manage that?"

The water tribe warrior looked at Katara, back at Toph, and then at the medical supplies at the other side of the room. "Um…I think so."

"Good." She moved the curtain and stepped out. "If you need any help or anything goes wrong, come call for me."

And just like that, Katara was gone. Sokka rolled his eyes. "Pffff. Permission. Like she asked me if her and arrow boy could date."

Two hours past and within that time, the water tribe warrior had fallen asleep. With his legs crossed, one hand was down while the other was holding up his head. His mouth was open allowing his snores to be loud and clear. It was no surprise that Sokka was startled when Toph finally began to show signs of waking.

A soft kick allowed Sokka's arm to fall causing his head to dip. The action woke Sokka up immediately. He searched the room for an intruder only to find Toph shifting slightly in discomfort. He crawled closer to her head and shook her shoulder as gently as possible.

He whispered. "Toph? You waking up?"

"Mm..mmmm" Was her response.

"As good as it would be if you did wake up," Sokka checked the bandage quickly to make sure Toph wasn't messing with it. "If you feel the need to keep sleeping, feel free."

"Ss…s…" Toph moaned again. "S-Snoozles?"

Sokka couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, it's me."

Toph breathed deeply. "Hi."

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Sokka let his finger rub part of her arm in comfort.

"Tired." Her response was groggy and sounded like it took a lot of energy.

"Like I said, if you want to sleep, you can continue."

Toph turned her head towards his voice. "Tired of sleeping."

Sokka chuckled again. "I bet. You've been asleep for several hours."

"Hours?" The master earthbender made a grunt. "What's wrong with me?"

The warrior looked at her concerned. "You don't remember what happened?"

"I remember the badgermole, a bunch of earth falling, being flung into the air. That's kind of it at the moment." Sokka could hear her taking a breath.

"Well," He crawled over and grabbed the new bandaging. "You missed the badgermole scratching you really bad, losing a lot of blood, and passing out. Although I wouldn't exactly blame you for forgetting that last one."

"Ugh, why do these things happen to me?"

Sokka rubbed her arm softly. "Because you like to do things the hard way."

Toph opened her eyes slightly. "Remind me not to do that."

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Sokka smiled down at her. "Alright, here is the tough part. I need to change the bandages on your stomach. I'm going to need you to sit up."

"Do I have to?" Toph whined just like normal.

"Sorry. Sugar Queen's orders."

Toph didn't say anything. Her scowl was enough of a response for Sokka taking it as an "okay let's get this over with." The water tribe warrior carefully pulled Toph up, his hands support her back. Her hands went to his shoulders and as she sat up further, her grip tightened.

"Alright. Just stay like that while I change the bandages."

Toph remained death gripped to his shoulders. He could tell that she was trying her best not to fall back down. As he unwrapped the old bandaging, beneath it presented two long gashes across her abdominals. No longer were they bleeding, thanks to Katara, but it was important to keep them from getting infected. Shifting the wounds was obviously very painful for the earthbender, so Sokka hurried and applied the new bandages.

"There ya go." Sokka carried her back down as sitting up took all of her energy.

Toph let out a shaky breath once she returned to lying down. "Spirits…"

"You doing okay?"

The young earthbender let her head roll to the side. Her eyes were closed once again. "Just okay."

"Don't move too much. Do you want some water?" Sokka brushed her bangs out of her face. He was surprised to feel Toph respond and nuzzle into his hand slightly.

"Not right now."

The two remained in silence for a little bit. Sokka watched the light of the fire flicker on Toph's face. Her breathing was a little shaky, but that was understandable. He almost lost her today. Sokka would take anything just for her to be okay again.

"Thanks." She almost whispered.

Sokka cocked his head to the side. "For what?"

"Catching me when I was up in the air. You didn't let me fall this time."

"You remember that?"

Toph coughed spiking Sokka's concern, but it was minimal. "Yeah, I do. My memory is starting to get jogged."

"Oh." Sokka brushing his fingers through his hair seeing as Toph appreciated it so much. "No problem. It is my job after all."

"Nice. You didn't mess up for once." She tried to laugh.

Sokka joined along. "Shut up."

"I'm serious. You really came through when I needed it most." Toph opened her eyes halfway. The light of the fire danced in her milky green eyes.

Sokka snickered. "Are you getting soft on me? Did that badgermole scratch away all your sarcasm and rudeness?"

"Trust me. It can come back in an instant if you keep making fun of me like that."

"Alright, alright. Well since you didn't fall this time, how about I ask you a question?"

Toph's breathing stabilized fortunately when she answered. "Fair enough. Shoot."

Sokka didn't even ponder on a question. "Do you ever wish you can see?"

Toph grunted. "I can see."

He shoved her lightly. "You know what I mean."

The earthbender put a hand atop her wounds before speaking once more. "I won't ever say that I wish I was born with eye sight. My blindness is something I treasure since it's made me stronger. But I guess, yes, there are times when I wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"How you see the world."

Sokka took her answer into consideration. He noted in his head how she said _you_rather than _other people_. Maybe there was a difference.

"Like, I mean," Toph continued. "I have no idea what color is. Blue, red, yellow, green, orange. I can't even try to imagine something like that. Blue doesn't have a texture. Red isn't cold or hot. Green doesn't make sound."

"Color, huh? That is a tough one."

"Yeah there is the fact that I won't ever be able to read a book, but hey, that saves me less time and learning. But color. I am always curious about color."

"Have you ever stood on a really big plateau?"

"Huh? Toph quirked an eyebrow.

"Have you?" Sokka asked her again.

Toph waited a second before answering. "Uh, yeah."

"Blue is kind of like that." Sokka had still been combing his fingers through her hair. "The way it feels endless. The sky and the ocean are blue. They are the two things in the world that seem endless. That's what blue is like."

The earthbender remained silent.

Sokka kept going. "However, blue can also be very sad. That's why people say 'are you feeling blue?'"

"What," Toph started. "What other things are blue?"

"Water in general is blue. My eyes and Katara's eyes are blue."

"Huh."

Sokka moved on. "Now red, red is like fire. It's hot and dangerous at times. It can represent anger and passion. In fact, fire is red. Except for Azula's. Her's is blue for some weird reason."

Toph laughed making Sokka smile. "Well she is crazy."

"You got that right. She is definitely angry red. Zuko, on the other hand, is more passionate red."

"What about orange?"

"Orange is peaceful. It's why Aang wears it all the time, him and his nomad self. It can be light, just like how the autumn leaves float towards the ground when they fall."

"And green?"

Sokka laughed lightly. "Even though you can't see it, I do believe green is your favorite color. Green represents the earth. I think it's why you wear it all the time. It's the feeling of the grass when you lay on it which is green. It's the smell of the dirt and rock that you bend. It's natural."

"My favorite color is definitely green." Toph smirked.

"Your eyes are green."

"Are they?" She sounded very intrigued.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders. "Well, because you are blind, it's a bit faded. But it is still there. I like it. It's different."

Toph suppressed her blush as good as she can. She made her way to punch him but stop midway since she lost all of her energy. "Thanks."

Sokka shook his head and laughed. "Yeah."

"What other colors are there?"

Sokka continued talking until she fell asleep again.


	9. Chapter 9

Toph had recovered gradually over the remaining days. Healing sessions with Katara have got her able to walk and sit up just fine with just a fair amount of soreness. The master earthbender, of course, fought off all types of concern that the rest of the team gave her. However, everyone knew why she leaned against Sokka when moving around. They said nothing about it.

Today was a different type of day. With the celebration tomorrow, everything was being finalized for the big event. Decorations were set up. Food was being planned and prepared. Security was awaiting the arrival of a number of important officials. There was nothing left for Team Avatar to do.

This is the exact reason that Katara had dragged Toph out of bed and into her room. Sokka was surprised to not find his best friend awaiting him. He asked around and was informed that Katara had Toph. Just as any sane person would have done, Sokka went to his sister's room to inquire the whereabouts of Toph only to be met with a large wall of ice. After much pounding and yelling, Sokka was banned from seeing Toph at all that day. Aang had to drag Sokka shopping in order for him to leave the girls alone.

Presently, Katara still kept Toph captive.

"Alright. I fixed it."

Toph scoffed. "Thanks I guess. For people of high stature, it's pretty stupid of my parents to send me a dress with even one hole."

Katara rolled her eyes. "It wasn't even that big a deal. I fixed it and now it looks as good as new."

"That's because it is new." Now it was Toph's turn to roll her eyes. "What color is it?"

"Oh, it's this beautiful emerald color. Green really suits you Toph, not just because you are from the earth kingdom." Katara smiled at her friend.

Toph, surprisingly smiled back. "Thanks, Sugar Queen."

"Can you try it on?"

The earthbender, seeing no use in fighting since she was stuck in the room, walked over and grabbed the dress out of Katara's hands. "Help me will you?"

"Of course."

* * *

"Katara better not be putting Toph under any strenuous activity." Sokka said angrily.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck. "Sokka, Katara is a healer. I think she knows what Toph can and can't do."

Sokka frowned. "Well, nonetheless, Toph needs to rest. Especially since the celebration is tomorrow. You know how much she likes crowds."

"Don't remind me. During the last anniversary of the hundred year war, she got kicked out. And she was a war hero. That's how bad she was."

"She was fighting with her parents at the time. She may have gotten a little drunk." Sokka picked up a new bag and examined its quality.

"I didn't know that." Aang said interested.

The water tribe warrior put down the item and moved on. "They were a bit generous with the wine. For all the talk that Toph spits out, she is a lightweight."

Aang and Sokka both laughed.

* * *

"You were drunk at the anniversary last year?"

Toph swept a hair away from her face as it had started tickling her nose. Her hair was down as it had been for the duration of their stay in the South Pole. She convinced herself that she wanted her hair like this and not because Sokka preferred it. "Yeah I was. I also got kicked out."

"Well, I remember that part. I was furious." Katara continued to button the front part of the first layer of the dress. The first layer consisted of the actual dress that completely covered her feet. It was gold and was fitted with long sleeves. "Why were you so out of control last year anyways?"

Toph crossed her arms, obviously against remembering last year's events and to some extent couldn't remember some of last year's events. "My parents were driving me up the wall around that time."

"When don't they?" Katara laughed as she cut off a loose thread on the dress.

"That's true." Toph scowled. "But what they were asking me to do was totally dumb and I still refuse to do it up to this day."

Katara's eyebrows rose. "And that would be?"

"Find a husband."

* * *

"I can't imagine Toph getting married. It's so…not her thing." Aang took a bite of his apple.

To his left, the water tribe warrior was playing tug of war with his seal jerky. Once he was finally able to snag a piece off, he continued talking. "Eh, I just don't think she is ready."

Aang gave the rest of his apple to Momo who sat atop his shoulders. The lemur took to it immediately. "I don't think Toph has ever had a boyfriend either."

"Like I said." Sokka swallowed the food in his mouth. "She isn't ready."

"Or we just don't know. Toph doesn't like talking about that stuff."

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Listen, I know Toph. Even though she can be sarcastic and rude and pretty insensitive and really violent and-"

"To the point, Sokka"

"What I mean is that even though Toph has a tough outer shell, once you get past all that, she is a pretty great girl."

Aang smiled. "She has her moments. I'm sure you see more of this softer Toph than either me or Katara do."

"Well, that's the kind of man that Toph needs. Someone who is persistent enough to discover her gentler side."

* * *

Toph crossed her arms only to have Katara slap them. The sixteen year old earthbending master opened her arms up again and let her friend slip the over vest of the dress. It was the emerald green that Katara had described and tied in the front. The edges were lined with a darker green and an exquisite pattern.

Katara squealed in delight. "I love it when you let me dress you up!"

"Shut up."

"I don't understand why you hate being a girl sometimes." The waterbender continued to adjust Tophs outfit.

"I don't care about how I look." Toph turned her head away from Katara.

"Every girl likes to feel pretty."

Toph's voice softened. "It would help if I actually knew what that meant."

The waterbender stopped her work and faced Toph. "Hey, you are one of the most beautiful girls that I know. And the fact that you are so confident about your own personality is the only thing that you need to be beautiful. But trust me, you really are pretty."

The smile that Toph gave her was all the thanks that Katara needed.

The two girls were quiet for a couple of minutes as Toph's outfit continued to be worked on.

"I think you just need someone to dig past that tough outside that you have, Toph." Katara said breaking the silence.

Toph frowned. "That's the only way I'm getting married. If he can't handle this," She gestured to her entire body. "Then he can go find someone else to spend the rest of his life with."

"Perseverance can't be the only thing you look for in a man."

"For one thing, I'm not even looking for a man."

"Why?"

"Because-"

"Because you already found one, right?"

* * *

"So are you saying that Toph should marry you?"

Sokka spit his drink out immediately at the avatar's comment. They were in a crowded part of the market and the warrior had to apologize for spitting all over a woman's child. She slapped him with her basket and walked away.

After the whole incident, Sokka finally replied to Aang's outrageous response. "W-What? Toph marry me? Are you insane?"

The avatar looked at him innocently. "Hey, you are the one that said Toph needed someone that could break through her exterior. The only person I can think of that has done that to such an extent is you."

Sokka still looked at him bug eyed. "That doesn't mean she wants to marry me!"

"But you want to marry her?"

"I never said that!"

The air nomad smirked. "And you never did not say it."

Sokka frowned and walked away from the avatar as fast as he could. Aang caught up no problem using his air scooter.

"So you like her?"

He kept walking. "Never said that."

"But you do?"

Sokka scowled at him. "Never. Said. That."

"Are we really going to do this again?"

The water tribe warrior stopped and stared at his friend. "Toph is a beautiful girl, alright? She is also one of the bravest people I know. Scratch that, the bravest person I know, no offense there buddy." Aang nodded in understanding. "The truth is she isn't looking for a guy like me."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Aang questioned him.

"I'm not what she is looking for."

* * *

"I don't like Sokka, Katara."

Katara tightened the gold cloth that synched her waist. "Sure you don't, Toph."

"I'm serious. Sokka is a loud, annoying, totally obnoxious geek. Definitely, not my type."

"Oh yeah?" Katara straightened out the cloth in the front. "What exactly is your type?"

Toph frowned. "Trust me, I'd tell you if I knew."

"The thing is, Toph, I think I know exactly what your type is and you are in denial. I think the kind of guy you want is a loud, annoying, thinks he's funny guy who's go to weapon is a boomerang and yells 'kickapow' as his war cry."

Before Toph could answer, Katara stepped back and stared at Toph. The dress was gorgeous, emphasizing Toph's frame in all the right places. Katara wanted to cry.

"Oh, you are stunning." The waterbender complimented.

Toph suddenly felt very self conscious. "It looks okay?"

"Not just okay. Magnificent!"

"Uh, good. I don't want to walk into the celebration hall looking stupid." The earthbender let her hair fall into her face.

"Sokka, is going to flip when he sees you." Katara teased.

Toph immediately frowned. "He isn't going to care because he doesn't like me. We are best friends. That is all we are, Miss Matchmaker."

Katara put her hands on her hips. "He is into you, Toph. The moment he sees you in this dress, you'll know what I mean."

"For the last time, he doesn't see me that way. I'm not that kind of girl."

"What kind of girl?"

"The kind of girl he is looking for."

* * *

Aang cocked his head to the side in the confusion. "And how do you know that for sure?"

* * *

Katara sighed. "And how do you know that for sure?"

* * *

"I…"

* * *

"Well…"

* * *

"That's because you don't." Aang interrupted. "You like her."

* * *

"Admit it. You like him."

* * *

"I don't like her, Aang."

* * *

"Katara, I don't like Sokka."

* * *

"I love her."

"I love him."

* * *

Katara was seated by the fire when Aang and Sokka arrived back. Her brother greeted her with a grunt and question to where Toph was. She told him that she was in her room playing with a rock. It surprised her when he smiled and quickly made his way to join her. Aang came and sat by her.

"How was your day, Sweetie?" The avatar kissed her on the cheek.

Katara smiled. "I love it when you do that."

"Then I better keep doing it." Aang kissed her cheek once more.

"Anyways, I made Toph try on her dress that she is going to be wearing tomorrow. She is beautiful."

"I bet." Aang replied without even thinking. "I mean, not as beautiful as you of course. That was a default response."

Katara just laughed. "You are forgiven. But seriously, Toph looked really pretty. She's is going to catch some eyes tomorrow."

"That won't make Sokka very happy." The avatar laughed remembering his conversation with the water tribe warrior earlier.

"It will be fine. Toph only has eyes for one person. Well, she…you know what I mean."

The couple laughed together.

"I swear, those two avoid even the slightest possibility of being in a relationship for nothing."

Katara wrapped his arms around Aang. The avatar reciprocated the gesture. "If they keep at it, they will die alone."

"Do you think they will tell each other? That they love each other?"

The waterbender looked at her boyfriend curiously. "Sokka loves Toph?"

"Well," Aang realized his blunder. "I mean he may have told me today. Please don't tell Toph. Sokka would kill me and maybe even my next life."

"It's okay, Sweetie." This time Katara kissed him on the cheek. "Toph told me the same thing."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, it would be great if they just told each other."

Aang rubbed circles around Katara's back. "They'll come around."

"They better tell each other soon. If not, I'm telling them myself."

"You are such a matchmaker."

"Hey! Don't side with Toph."


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you done yet?"

"Toph just sit there and be quiet and then I'll be done in no time."

"You said that the last time!"

"And you keep talking!"

The master earthbender scowled.

"And stop frowning."

Toph groaned again in frustration. She had been sitting on the stool for nearly an hour allowing Katara to finish up her make up. With the celebration only two hours away, Toph was beginning to get irritated. She always hated crowds. Katara was clever enough to get ready before helping Toph. She was wearing a traditional water tribe dress, blue and lined with white fur. Her hair was styled up in elegance yet her hair loopies remained dangling next to her face. The dress reached all the way to the floor covering her feet. Her make up was light, highlighting the waterbender's natural beauty

Toph was of course dressed in her garb that she had tried on yesterday. On her feet were thin furred flats much to her annoyance. Her hair was styled up for the first time in days. Her black locks were tight in a bun and she wore a traditional earth kingdom head piece. The last thing Katara was taking care of was her make up. Some eye shadow, blush, and lipstick were the only things that the earthbender could tolerate and just waiting for it to get applied was testing Toph's patience.

Katara placed her brush on her vanity. "There. All done."

"Finally!" Toph stood up and stretched. Being a girl was hard work. The moment she relaxed again, she couldn't help the grunt that escaped her lips. Her abdomen was still a little sore. Katara noticed.

"Are you going to be fine tonight?" The waterbender looked on with concern. "You look beautiful by the way, Toph."

The master earthbeder rolled her eyes. "I just need a drink. It will numb the pain. And…thanks."

"Oh no you don't. You are definitely not drinking tonight."

"Says you."

"There is no alcohol on the premises."

Katara smirked as her young friend whined. She stopped Toph before she began rambling.

"Come on. We've kept the boys waiting long enough. Ooooooh! Sokka's eyes are going to fall right out of his head when he sees you!" The waterbender clasped her hands together in excitement.

Toph responded with a groan. "Whatever. Let's just go."

The earthbender latched on to Katara's arm and the two made their way out of the room. They carefully walked down the hallway and entered the room where everyone was gathered.

Toph heard movement in the air. "Hey! You two look great!"

"Thank you, Aang." Katara responded.

"I'll take your word for it, Twinkletoes." Was Toph's reply.

Hakoda and Gran-Gran approached the two and gave them their compliments. Sokka, surprisingly, stayed silent on one side of the room. His blue eyes remained transfixed on his best friend. There were a lot of rare things that Sokka had the privilege to be a part of. Finding the avatar, riding the only sky bison in the world, fighting in a war, defeating the firelord. Those were all great. But Sokka would honestly say that seeing Toph dressed up and looking absolutely stunning was one of the things he appreciated the most. Sure, he liked it when she was her normal self too. But being reminded that Toph was in fact a very beautiful woman was a heartwarming surprise every time it did happen.

Katara and Aang had noticed Sokka's reaction and the couple was smiling widely.

"Hey, where is big mouth? Don't we have a celebration to get to?" Toph asked annoyed.

The water tribe warrior approached his best friend carefully. He was dressed in traditional water tribe formal attire, hues of blue decorating his appearance. Just like his sister, his clothes were lined with white fur. His ponytail was tamed and perfect. He was smiling gently.

Toph was beyond surprised when Sokka grabbed her hand and kissed the top of her fingers.

"You look beautiful."

She didn't have the strength to stop her blush. Toph was suddenly thankful for the make up on her face. "Uh, thanks, Sokka."

He laughed. "I guess with the formal wear you also use my actual name."

"Don't push your luck, Snoozles."

"And she's back." The two laughed together this time.

"You guys look amazing together." Katara commented. Both Sokka and Toph blushed.

"Enough of this gushy stuff." Sokka shook his head to remove his embarrassment. "Let's get some food!"

"You are such a meathead."

"It's what you love about me." Sokka grinned at Toph.

The master earthbender only scowled when Aang and Katara walked passed her giggling.

* * *

Before they stepped into the celebration hall, Sokka stopped all of them at the door.

"What's the hold up?" Toph asked.

The warrior held her arm tighter. "Just getting the crowd ready for our arrival."

After five minutes, the front double doors to the hall opened and the crowd roared in delight. Aang and Katara stepped in first and the crowd rallied for Avatar Aang. Next, Sokka guided Toph to enter and the audience applauded once more for the war heroes. The four of them walked slowly to marvel in their appraisal. It took them another five minutes to reach their seats in the front. Katara and Sokka made the announcement to commence the celebration.

"We are proud to announce…"

"That the southern water tribe…"

"Is now complete!"

The crowds whooped and hollered.

"Let the celebration begin!"

After one more round of applause, food was brought out and everyone began to eat and dance. Traditional water tribe music was played and the atmosphere was beyond wonderful. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph made their rounds to meet and greet the guests.

"I wish I could have trained with Master Piando. He was one of the greatest swordsmen in the world!"

Sokka smiled. "It was truly an honor to both make my very own sword under his tutelage and train under him."

On his right, Toph was conversing with a guest as well.

"I was trapped in a metal box when I discovered metalbending. It was my only way out."

"How very brave of you!"

Toph and Sokka bowed to their guests and walked towards their next one.

"It is an honor to be greeted by both of you." The fire nation politician bowed to the war heroes.

The two bowed back. Sokka replied. "It is an honor to meet you as well, Mr….?"

"Jun. My name is Xi Jun. You have made quite a name for yourself, Master Sokka."

The warrior waved his hands in disapproval. "Please, I am no master. Not yet anyways."

Xi bowed again. "My apologies." He turned to Toph and took her hand just as Sokka had earlier and kissed it. "It is a pleasure to be in the presence of a Bei Fong."

Toph didn't pull her hand away surprisingly. She smiled lightly. "Thank you. I will let my father know we have been acquainted."

"You have grown into a fine young woman. Any suitors to your liking?"

Toph fought her urge to grimace. "Not yet. I have other duties to fulfill before settling down of course."

"Anyone in mind?" His smile was creepy enough to earn Sokka's disapproval.

Toph answered with little emotion in her voice. "Not at the moment."

"Of course. My apologies for asking. I shall leave you both. Enjoy the rest of a celebration. I'm sure it will be quite the night."

With one more kiss on Toph's hand, Xi left them. The scowl on Sokka's face became stronger after the politicians left.

"Sometimes I wonder about you."

The master earthbender quirked an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"You change personalities like night and day. First you're rude sarcastic Toph." She punched him stealthily. "Then you're 'the pleasure is all mine' Toph."

"It's a default action. I didn't ask to have manners. They were forced upon me." Toph leaned against him.

Sokka remembered her wounds. "Are you good? Still sore?"

"Just a little. Nothing the greatest earthbender in the world can't handle."

"Don't worry. I gotcha."

It took half an hour before Toph, Sokka, Aang, and Katara could get a moment to themselves.

"Have any of you guys eaten yet?" Sokka was rubbing his stomach.

Aang brought his hand to his abdomen as well. "I've been too busy socializing I haven't been able to sit down and eat."

"I can definitely go for some kabobs right now." Toph groaned.

"Me too." Katara followed.

"Before you can eat, you have to greet every guest, correct?"

The four forgot their empty stomachs at the sight of their favorite scar-faced firelord.

"Zuko!"

The four ran over and hugged both Zuko and Mai. The married couple could only scowl.

"Are we really still hugging?"

"Buddy," Sokka squeezed his friends harder. "You should have known what you signed up for the moment you joined team avatar."

The embrace ended and the friends got into conversation quickly.

Zuko had Mai on his arm as he spoke. "So what's with the metal mat on the floor?"

"What!?" Toph exclaimed as quietly as she could. She kicked her shoes under one of the nearby tables. The grin that came to her face made her friends laugh. "I don't even care if the metal is freezing."

"Oops. I forgot to tell you that the floor was metal." Sokka rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Toph pinched his arm making him squeak. "I could have been able to see the whole time?"

"Sokka persuaded a couple people to weld some metal together and make it the flooring in the hall for you. I'm surprised he forgot. He must have been distracted by other things." Aang explained.

Mai chipped her two cents in to the conversation. "Or someone."

Sokka pretended that she didn't hear the fire lady. "Sorry, Toph."

"I'll forgive you." Her impish grin returned. "If you dance with me!"

The earthbender grabbed his best friend's hand and dragged him into the middle of the celebration hall.

"Wait! I haven't eaten yet! I need energy!"

"Get it later!"

It wasn't long until Aang grabbed Katara and pulled her towards the dance floor. The fire lord awkwardly asked his wife to dance and to his surprise she complied with a grunt and a smirk.

The war heroes danced for another hour until they finally got to eat. Once seated at their table, Sokka pigged out making everyone sitting roll their eyes. The water tribe warrior could care less.

After finishing his third plate of food, Sokka took a moment to look over at Toph, making sure she was situated okay. His eyes stared with concern as the earthbender had the same look on her face when she was suspecting something. She continued to eat though.

"What's wrong?"

Toph was taken out of her daze at the sound of Sokka's voice. "Huh? Oh nothing. How is your food?"

Sokka wasn't convinced. "It's fine. But really, what's wrong?"

She seemed to hesitate before answering. "Thanks for putting in the metal mats. I think you just saved my life."

"No problem. Is that-"

He couldn't finish what he was about to say as something zipped through the air and stopped right in front of Toph's face. Sokka, and now everyone else at the table, were staring wide eyed at a sleek metal knife inches away from Toph's face. The blind bender had only but a finger lifted from her chopsticks. This gesture was the only thing that indicated she was metalbending the nearly fatal weapon. Casually, Toph took her chopsticks and grabbed the knife with them. She set it down on the table and continued eating.

"Toph!" Katara exclaimed.

The earthbender swallowed her food. "Is anybody going to get Xi Jun?"

Sokka was already up. Quickly, just like the time on the airship, he drew his boomerang and threw it with precision at the fire nation politician. A hit in the head knocked Xi right out. Toph pushed her chair out and she took a stance. She bent part of the metal floor to cuff the man's hands and feet.

The water tribe warrior walked angrily towards their captive. Toph stayed at the table and looked back at her friends.

"Who's ready for some interrogation?"


	11. Chapter 11

He slapped the man across the face. Xi Jun still didn't wake up.

"I don't think that's doing anything, Sokka."

He slapped him again. Still nothing.

Aang put a hand on the watertribesman's shoulder. Sokka halted his assault. The avatar directed his friend behind him where everyone else was standing. The gang was back in one of the huts distant from the celebration hall. Both Zuko and Sokka had carried Xi Jun out of the celebration hall while Katara and Aang had calmed the crowd who had witnessed the entire thing. Questions were asked at the war heroes, but they promised that everything would be cleared up after their interrogation of the man. Hakoda demanded to go with his children to also question the fire nation politician; however Katara convinced him that they needed him here to watch the guests.

The avatar bent some cold water and drenched Xi. Surprisingly, the man jolted awake and looked around frantically. He was met with the angry eyes of team avatar. Frightened, he tried a pathetic escape.

Sokka was back by Xi Jun and he pulled on his top knot. "Why did you do it!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Xi scowled at them but still shook in fear. "Untie me at once!"

Katara came up to the politician and pointed a finger to his face. "You got a lot of nerve for someone who attempted to assassinate a war hero."

"Who are you?" Zuko yelled.

Everyone else just looked at him confused.

"What?"

Aang scratched his head. "Shouldn't you know who he is?"

"He's a fire nation politician. You must have met most of them." Katara looked at Zuko with confused eyes. Everyone was actually.

The scarred firelord's rage suddenly changed into equal confusion. "He doesn't look like any politician I've ever met."

Sokka gave him an annoyed face. "Does Xi Jun not ring a bell?"

Zuko thought carefully. He approached their captive and observed his facial features. The man just squirmed away from the scarred firelord, the scowl remaining on his face. Zuko's face changed from analyzing their captive into his famous frown.

"This isn't politician Xi Jun. He has a beard and moustache. One of his eyes has a scratch on it from his days in the fire nation army. This man doesn't bear the mark."

"What's your real name then?" Sokka screamed into the man's face.

The man spat upon the water tribe warriors formal wear. Aang had to pull his friend back once more before Sokka did something he would regret later. Instead, Katara confronted the man. This way may have just been even more dangerous. "He asked you a question. What's your name?"

Katara could see him already pulling back to spit upon her. Her hands came up at once and bent the saliva back down his throat. His widened eyes and shock was all the waterbender needed in satisfaction. "I'm sorry. I didn't get that. What was it?"

The man practically growled out his answer. "Fen."

"What were your motives in your assassination attempt on Toph Bei Fong?" Her hands remained ready to warn him even further if he tried anything.

Fen glared at every single one of them. After several seconds of silence, his low nefarious laughter filled the room. "It's not like I have anything to lose."

"Then start talking." The waterbender's yell quickly overcame Fen's chuckling.

"Miss Bei Fong is certainly acquainted with politician Xi Jun's son. Ru Jun. I was sent by the politician to take care of Miss Bei Fong after her…displeasing response."

Everyone turned towards the earthbender. Toph had been leaning in the doorway, arms crossed like usual. Her dress was slightly opened revealing the white tank top she had persuaded Katara to let her wear. She had been fairly quiet for most of the interrogation.

"Ru Jun. So his dad is Xi Jun. I was wondering why your name sounded familiar. Well, it isn't your actual name." The master earthbender began bending the small rock Sokka had given to her during the trip. The water tribe warrior couldn't help but smile a little even through his rage.

Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed with his friend. "For someone who was just about to be assassinated, you're pretty calm."

Toph scoffed. "Please. I felt the knife in his sleeve before I started talking to him. I just like being dramatic is all."

Her friends only scowled at her.

"Moving on!" Toph walked over to Fen with the help of her friends to guide her over the ice floor. She was still bending the stone. "So Ru wasn't very happy with my response to the whole shindig. Like I didn't see that coming. But was it really worth my life? Was it really?"

"I'm only an assassin. I have no opinion to voice."

"Alright, alright, alright!" Sokka put his hands in the air in frustration. "What are you two even talking about?"

Fen laughed once more. "It seems Miss Bei Fong likes to keep her own secrets."

The rock flew towards his forehead and their captive hissed in pain. Toph was scowling back at Fen. "Maybe I just never got around to telling them yet, idiot."

"Tell us what?" The group demanded in unison.

The metalbender sighed and turned back to her friends. Taking one deep breath, she answered their question. "I'm not saying I'm not happy that your tribe is rebuilt and everything, because I am. But I did have one other reason why I came down here with you guys."

Katara crossed her arms. "I knew it was too easy to convince you."

"Anyways," Toph glared. "I was about to be arranged to marry Ru Jun."

"WHAT?!"

At that moment, Toph thanked the spirits she was blind. She would rather not see the shocked faces on her companions' friends. Especially Sokka's. When Aang, Katara, and Sokka had arrived at the Bei Fong estate weeks before their journey, all three of them were surprised at Toph's initial answer to join them to the Southern Water Tribe for the celebration. They had readied a plan that included some kind of bribe to persuade Toph to join them, thinking that she would have refused with great distaste. The three of them were very confused up until they had arrived in the South.

"Arranged?" Aang's voice cracked as he repeated the word.

"You? Married?" If it was possible, Toph could have sworn she heard Katara's voice crack as well.

Zuko was surprised, but not to the extent of the others, seeing that arranged marriages were a sort of norm. Still, knowing that it was Toph, the firelord was still stunned.

Sokka remained speechless, mouth hanging open.

"My parents had been fighting back and forth on the concept of marriage with me since last year. They thought that I needed someone else to take care of me, as an adult. I refused, of course. Unwilling to give up my freedom. There was no way I was getting married, especially to the son of a snobby fire nation noble, no offense Sparky. My father said it would be good, creating unison between the nations. You would not believe the state of the garden when I heard that."

"So what did you do that angered Xi Jun to hire an assassin?" Aang asked intrigued.

His earthbending Sifu couldn't help the mischievous smirk that crossed her face. "He had come to visit the week before you guys arrived. I wasn't prepared for my good for nothing father to give my hand to Ru without even asking me. I was engaged for a mere two minutes before I flipped out."

Katara brought her hands to her mouth. "You destroyed your estate."

"Just half." Toph's smile began to falter. "It was the worst tantrum I ever had. But I did do some things that I regret."

Fen chuckled sarcastically. "Some? You destroyed their family."

Toph didn't hesitate to flick the rock back on his forehead, harder this time.

"What's he talking about, Toph?" Zuko asked firmly.

"Well," It was interesting to all of them to see Toph rubbing her hands nervously. "Other than the tantrum, I may have let it slip that his mother was sleeping with one of their estate guards. Little Ru decided to take this information back to his parents. His mom and dad split. Since Ru's mother was the original aristocrat of the family, money was cut off." She began to think. "Hmm. You know what. I think I understand why I was wanted dead. Id even want myself dead if someone did that to me."

"Jeez, Toph." Katara shook her head in disappointment.

"I told you, I regret blurting it out. I was stupid."

"You bet your ass you were."

Everyone looked back to Sokka. The water tribe warrioir had his fists clenched and he was staring at Toph with daggers. The girl in question just frowned.

"Look, I dont need you to rub it in, alright?"

"Oh, I don't care about Ru and his stupid family. I care about how idiotic you were for not holding back for once."

Aang, Zuko, and Katara grouped together to watch the two.

"Excuse me?"

Sokka walked up to her locked eye contact with her dead eyes. "You heard me. How could you be so stupid to not hold your tongue for once."

"Listen here, Snoozles. You've known me long enough that you know I am nothing but blunt and insensitive. So why do you feel the need to make me feel worse about it?" Toph shoved a finger into his chest.

Sokka's teeth clenched. "Because this time, you were so selfish that you scared Aang, Katara, Zuko, and I. You disrupted the entire celebration. And most importantly, you almost got yourself killed because you couldn't handle things properly. You could have saved everyone a heart attack."

"I don't need you guys worrying about me, alright? I appreciate it and all, but I had everything under control. Stop scolding me like I'm a kid."

"Don't tell me not to worry about you, Toph. No matter how hard you try, we are all your friends and it's our job to care for you. I can't believe you can't see how this whole thing effected us. You almost died!"

Toph didn't let up at all. "I told you, I had it under control. I wasn't going to go down that easily. So let it go, we have other things to worry about now."

Sokka didn't have the chance to argue back as the earthbender faced Fen once more.

"So, what are we gonna do with you then? You had your opportunity and failed."

Fen smiled suspiciously. "I wouldn't say I failed just yet."

"And why, may I ask, do you think that?"

The man in front of her opened his mouth and smoke began emitting into the air. It came fast and soon, the entire room was filled. Zuko, Sokka, Katara, and Aang all began to cough. When he finally recovered from his surprise, Aang quickly bent the smoke away with his airbending. Toph and their captive was no where to be seen.

Sokka frantically looked around the room. "Where are they?"

"He's a firebender. He burnt his restraints off." The firelord explained.

"Damnit!" The water tribe warrior was already sprinting out the door. His friends followed, but only crashed into his body. He was still and looking with a face of horror.

Katara, Aang, and Zuko followed Sokka's gaze and finally displayed the same expression of fear.

The celebration hall was on fire from the inside.

The celebration hall was melting.


	12. Chapter 12

When they arrived at the celebration hall, there was a large crowd consisting of the guests coughing and hacking outside. Conveniently enough, Hakoda came running out of the burning hall holding up a man. He carefully left the man in the care of a healer before running towards his children.

Katara grabbed her father and hugged him tightly. "Are you alright?"

"Just a few burns. The other men and I have been trying to get everyone out of the building." Hakoda spoke into his daughter's hair.

"What happened?" Sokka yelled.

"That man that you guys hauled away, he came running into the hall with Toph over his shoulder. She seemed unconscious. He began lighting anything on fire. The hall is melting fast and large chunks of ice are dropping. So we are dealing with ice and fire."

Zuko had to grab Sokka's clothing to stop him from racing into the building. The water tribe warrior fought his restraint. "Sokka you can't just go in there."

"Toph's in there!"

Hakoda grabbed his son's shoulders and made him look at him. "Sokka, they left right after the place was starting to really burn. I don't know where they are. We were too busy getting people out."

"Damnit!" Everyone watched as Sokka's blue eyes darted back and forth in panic. They couldn't stand to see him like this. Aang cleared his throat and went into full avatar mode.

"Sokka, you and Zuko should go and look for Toph. Katara, your dad, and I will take care of the celebration hall."

Sokka looked over to Zuko. The firelord nodded and the two were speeding off in the opposite direction. Aang, Katara, and Hakoda gave a silent confirmation and headed straight for the deteriorating celebration hall.

* * *

After about ten minutes of running around, Sokka finally turned back halfway and asked Zuko where Mai was.

"I saw her helping people outside the hall. She's alright."

Sokka looked back forward. "Sorry for not asking earlier."

"I understand."

Another ten minutes of running and they had searched half the tribe already. The scowl on Sokka's face allowed Zuko to see the growing frustration on his face. The firelord decided to keep his mouth shut, hoping that whatever anger was building would come out when the time was right. They were currently in the market district and they had split off to search the many alley ways. It was Zuko that yelled out into the air first. Sokka got to his location in under two minutes.

"What? What is it? What did you find?"

Sokka allowed his eyes to follow Zuko's pointed finger. His fists clenched at the sight of blood stained snow.

The firelord went down on his knees and analyzed the shape of the print. "There is a very vague trail going east."

"East…that's going out towards the wasteland. There is nothing but ice and snow out there." The water tribe warrior walked further down the path and dropped down at once at the sight of the black object on the ground. "This is definitely the right way."

"What do you got?"

Sokka kissed the meteorite bracelet. He thought he might have smelled her scent on it. He tried to believe it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. "She never leaves without this. She left a clue. Good job, Toph."

The duo was running again, this time a little surer that they would find Toph soon. They quickly reached the edge of the village and began making their way into the frozen tundra that was the South Pole. Even with the freezing temperatures, both Sokka and Zuko were panting. The determination to find their friend was the only thing driving them.

Through his heavy breathing, Zuko yelled out to Sokka who had been in front of him the entire time. "Where are we exactly headed?"

The water tribe warrior didn't even look back. "The altitude starts increasing out here since the ice and snow isn't generally touched. We are going to be dealing with some elevation soon."

And he was right. Soon enough, the snow and ice were packed tightly and making the ground raise. Their traveling switched from running on flat ice to climbing densely layered snow. Zuko, again, was the first to break their silence.

"I think I see more blood up ahead."

Sokka only climbed faster, clawing at the snow to help him move. Both of them halted at the stained droplets of snow.

Zuko looked up when he heard the fierce growl escape his friend's mouth. "That better not be Toph's blood."

The barren South Pole air was suddenly filled with a scream. A way too feminine scream that could have belonged to Fen.

A scream in the air also meant people. Sokka and Zuko bolted towards its source.

As they climbed the tall snowy hill, the sound of shifting snow got louder and louder. Not long did they finally hear the panting of individuals, but also some kind of fight going on. Their eyes widened when they reached the source of the sounds.

"Toph!"

Her clothes were torn in several places and her hair was out of whatever style it had been in before. The long ebony locks were stuck to her face either by the snow or sweat on her skin. The earthbender's legs were scissor locked around Fen's neck. The man seemed to have been in the hold for awhile seeing that the snow around him was disturbed, the sign of his struggle. Fen had obviously underestimated the strength that the sixteen year old had developed over the years. Unfortunately, Sokka had gotten Toph's attention and she released Fen in the slightest bit.

The metal bender felt her legs being grabbed and before she realized it, she was flipped around. Her front hit the ground hard. Toph never knew snow could hurt so badly.

Zuko acted immediately and kicked out several flames. Fen dispersed the firelord's attacks and forgot about Toph for the moment. Sokka took his chance and ran towards Toph. She was just beginning to get up.

"Sorry I distracted you." He grabbed at her upper arm and helped her up.

Toph spat onto the ground, the slightest tinge of red visible. "Yeah thanks for that."

Zuko's voice overpowered their conversation. "Look out!"

Out of instinct, Sokka grabbed Toph's head and pushed them both down towards the snow. He could have sworn he smelt the tips of his warrior's wolf tail burning. Sokka unsheathed his boomerang and flipped around so that he was on his back. There was another blast of fire coming towards him and he rolled backwards to evade it. Toph had rolled to the side when she felt the heat too near her for her liking.

Sokka watched as Zuko grabbed Fen's waist with his leg and flipped to pull him back to the ground. He took his chance and launched off the ground. He ran and slid toward's Fen's head. Sokka's boomerang came next to his throat, the weapon surprisingly having sharp edges, and the man stopped squirming at once.

The water tribe warrior spoke with a low voice. "It's over, Fen. Give up."

The man only laughed at him. "You couldn't kill me if you tried."

The firelord didn't expect Fen's leg to come up and kick him in the side of the head. His hold on his waist released and he fell to the side. Fen took the opportunity to stand up, however, Sokka remained latched onto his back. The warrior's weaponhad fallen to the snow and his arm had taken his boomberang's place at Fen's throat. The man tried shooting fire backwards. Sokka skillfully ducked his head as the flames burned near the side of his face.

"Sokka? Where are you?" Toph yelled out into the open air. She was on her hands and knees, totally out of her element.

The only response she got back was Sokka grunting as he struggled to keep his hold on Fen. The firebender was now walking backwards, slowly losing the battle against the nonbender. Zuko regained consciousness just soon enough to see his friend and the enemy near the high cliff that he realized they were fighting on. "Sokka! The cliff!"

"Cliff? What cliff?" The master earthbender was panicking now.

Sokka made sure to maintain his grip on Fen as he looked behind him. The ledge of ice and snow was getting closer and closer. The more they neared it, the more Sokka could see the hard ice at the bottom. _That was definitely going to hurt._

What he didn't expect was Fen tripping over a mound of packed snow. The firebender fell hard atop Sokka, the warrior's back hitting the snow hard. He yelled out in surprise. Toph's head turned at the sound of his voice.

The momentum from the fall caused Fen to roll backwards towards the edge of the cliff. The firebender was in panic mode as well and kept a fist clutched on Sokka's clothes. The water tribe warrior felt his heart stop as he found himself being pulled away over the edge of the cliff.

Everything seemed to move slower. Sokka felt his body leave the comfort of the snow and slip into the open air. The disrupted snow fell around them. That thing about your life flashing by your eyes when you were about to die? It didn't happen. All Sokka saw was his slow descent down. He didn't see himself as a kid, carrying his new baby sister. He didn't see himself playing in the snow with his mother. He didn't see their mother's funeral. He didn't see the day they found Aang, the moment Yue left him, fighting above the airships on the last day of the war. The one thing he saw was Toph's face.

Her face was contorted in some kind of emotion he didn't see too often: horror. That's right. The Toph he saw before his eyes right now was a frightened little girl reaching out to him. Sokka stared at the mesmerizing paleness of her hand, the calluses she had built over the years decorating her palm. His blue eyes traveled up her arm and found the pitch black hair scattered, something he wish he could wake up to every morning. It was when he got to her eyes did he notice that she was "staring" right at him. Toph had always had the unusual ability to lock eyes with people when she was being serious. Her mouth shaped her name and the slow sound of his name resonated in his ears through her perfect voice.

"Grab my hand, damnit!"

The roughness in her voice is what made him realize that it was real. Toph was really reaching out for him. All the noise came back to his ears at once and he thrusted his hand towards hers.

The pull on their arms caused them to slightly scream in pain. Sokka dug his nails into Toph's arm as he tried to keep a strong hold. The earthbender squeezed her eyes shut, not knowing if her arm had dislocated. She felt her body sliding off the edge of the cliff and her heart beat heightened at what she thought was about to happen. Strong hands grabbed her ankles and the sudden halt in her descent pulled at her shoulder further.

"Toph! Toph! I got you! Don't worry, I got you!" Zuko yelled through clenched teeth. The firelord dug his heels into the hard snow, trying to anchor himself. He tried to step back and pull, but he found his feet slipping. Instead, he stayed put.

The earthbender kept her eyes shut. She forced her other arm down to grab at Sokka who did the same to gain more support. "Pull me up!"

"I can't! The ground is too slick."

Sokka let his eyes look down and found Fen clutching at his legs. Both of the men were dangling over a thirty foot drop to very hard, jagged ice. The only life support was the arms of the blind earthbender.

Toph yelled out over the edge. "Just hold on, Sokka!"

The water tribe warrior swallowed hard. "Aye, aye, Captain."

At that moment, Toph established that she hated being on this side. She hated being the one responsible for Sokka's life. She didn't know what she would do if she dropped him and she was sure that on that last day of the war, when she had put her full trust to Sokka, the warrior was already starting to carry the burden of her death. The tables had turned and now that burden was slowly pressing down on her shoulders. The earthbender couldn't help the tears that started to make its way down her face.

"This isn't the end, Sokka. You're going to make it."

Before the warrior could answer, he felt her sweaty palms allowing his hands to begin slipping just slightly. They felt each other cringe.

Toph's voice was frantic. "No, no, no. No you don't."

The forceful grip that Sokka had on Toph's wrists were definitely going to bruise. "I'm trying."

The familiar roar of a sky bison made everyone's ears twitch. Zuko yelled out for Appa. "Help!"

The wind shifted and Toph felt her hair sway towards the cliff. The wind continued to shift as she assumed that Appa was flying by her. That was the thing. She could only guess.

Aang's voice resonated from below. "It's okay! Let them drop, Toph!"

For some strange reason, the earthbender only tightened her grip on Sokka's hand. She was breathing heavily, unsure about what she should do.

"Toph, let me go."

"No! You're going to fall, idiot!" Toph fearfully shouted back.

Sokka let his death grip loosen a little, allowing his hands to slip further. Toph only grabbed back harder. "Stop that!"

"Toph, Aang and Katara are waiting for us on Appa. You can let me go."

"How do I know that for sure?" Her voice shook.

She didn't expect Sokka to speak to her gently. "Trust me."

"I-I…"

"Hey. It's okay. Let me fall. Let me fall this time." Sokka swallowed the lump in his throat. "After all this is done, let me ask you a question, alright?"

Toph complied allowing his hand to slip even further from her grasp. When he was only hanging by his fingers, she curled hers, holding him again.

"Toph," Sokka looked at her face. He hoped that he would never see her so frightened ever again. "I'll be back, I promise."

Her shaking hands uncurled and Toph stopped breathing the moment his heartbeat left her hands.


	13. Chapter 13

"Alright, Sokka. You just have a few burns here and there. Do you want me to heal them right now?" Katara inspected the rest of Sokka's face and upper torso.

The water tribe warrior grabbed his shirt on the side and smiled up at his sister. "Nah. I think I'm good. Mind doing it later? I think I should go check on Toph."

"Sure, Sokka. Just remember not to leave them for too long. They'll scar."

"Why not? The ladies seem to like it on Zuko."

Katara just slapped her brother softly. She watched as her brother put his shirt back on and they walked out of his room together. It was the morning after the disaster that was the celebration. After saving Sokka, Toph, and Zuko, the five made their way back to the Southern Water Tribe and continued to help with the celebration hall. Although the fire was gone, ice was still falling in dangerous sizes. Aang and Toph utilized both the ice and metal into a somewhat stable position. The rest of them helped with healing and first aid of those who were already injured. By the time they had gotten done, there was no time to talk and the war heroes hit their beds already asleep.

When the siblings walked out of the cottage, they slowly made their way towards the celebration hall, or what was left of it.

"So," His sister started. "how did you end up over the ledge yesterday?"

Sokka just put his hands behind his head and continued to walk. "Fen pulled me with him. He grabbed the back of my shirt and the next thing I knew, I was in the air."

He felt her hand bring his arm down so that they can be linked together. "It's a good thing Toph caught you then huh?"

"You don't even know, Katara. She crawled through the snow, not knowing where she was going just to save me. That girl has guts."

"Probably more than any of us." The waterbender laughed lightly.

"Yeah." Sokka smiled gently at the thought of his best friend.

Katara's joy suddenly deflated. She looked at her brother with concern. "So…when are you going to tell her?"

"Depends on what you are referring to, baby sister."

She had known her brother all her life, but never had Katara seen him with an expression that looked like his heart was being clenched tightly. There was such a strong hold on his chest by one of her closest friends and Katara didn't know what to do. He knew of the choices he could take. She was just afraid he would decide on the safer decision, rather than the one that would make him happy.

"Both."

Sokka stayed silent for a couple of minutes. The sound of their boots crunching in the snow reminded both of them of a simpler time when they would make their way through the village hand in hand as children. It had been a long time since then, but the siblings still carried on the habit of holding hands or arms. They were able to hear the commotion at the celebration hall when he finally answered.

"I have to tell her. About both."

Katara stopped them. She stood in front of her brother. "You know those two do contradict right?"

Sokka replied gently. "Yeah, I know."

"Just," He put a hand on his chest. "make decisions on what will make you the most happy. You can't have both, sadly."

"Katara, I'm doing what's right. I've thought about it for a few hours and I think I came to a decision. I'll let you know how it goes, alright?"

"Okay."

With that, the two walked the rest of the way to the celebration hall. When they arrived, they were greeted by Zuko, Hakoda, and Aang huddled in a circle.

"Hello, Sweetie." Aang kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. Katara responded with one of her genuine smiles that the avatar couldn't get enough of.

Sokka crossed his arms. "How are things going?"

He expected the hand to clap him against the back. His father gave him a comforting arm. "We'll get things fixed again. Repairing the hall won't be difficult, but repairing the tribes spirits? That will take some time."

"We didn't expect things to go that way, Dad."

"No one saw it coming."

Zuko was the one to bring up the elephant koi in the room. "Did you talk to Toph?"

The water tribe warrior just looked around the circle as everyone had decided to start staring at him. "Are there no secrets anymore?"

"You told Katara who told me who told Zuko." Aang gave him an apologetic look.

"Some friends you guys are." He scowled at them.

Zuko used his hands at he talked. "At least none of us told Toph. None of us could handle that."

Sokka only scoffed at his so called friends. "Yeah, you cowards. Where is she by the way? And who is she with?"

The avatar shrugged. "She's out the back. She said she wanted some air. Toph has been helping the waterbenders put a metal structure within the ice for more stability."

"But she dislocated her shoulder yesterday." Sokka seemed annoyed by the information presented to him.

"She has another arm?" Aang smiled at him nervously.

The water tribe warrior would have none of it. He walked past his friends towards the back of the celebration hall. Aang, Katara, Zuko, and Hakoda just watched as he almost stomped all the way out the back entrance. The three war heroes sighed.

Hakoda, however, cleared his throat. "Why would it be so hard to tell Toph about him staying?"

Katara looked at her father with a sympathetic expression on her face. "They're best friends. It was hard enough to separate them when we had first dropped Toph back home to reconcile with her parents. Staying down here means Toph can't visit at all. I know she really doesn't like it down here."

"It was still nice that she came, even if it was for different kinds of reasons." Aang informed his girlfriend. The waterbender nodded in agreement.

Zuko put his hand to his chin. "She also feels guilty about causing all this in the first place."

"It wasn't her fault." Hakoda quickly added.

"We know that. We just need to convince Toph." The firelord replied back.

The group sighed in sync. Katara kept her eyes to where her brother had left the building. "Sokka will do what he can."

* * *

As much as Toph hated the cold and temperatures of the South Pole, snow was very fascinating. Light and fluffy, when packed can be used as a projectile, and it responded with very different feelings to her senses. She had been sitting outside, cross legged in a clear spot, and playing with the snow in her hands. Toph was once again dressed up in her coat, pants, and boots although her pants were practically covered in the white fluff around her. The gloves that Sokka had provided for her were, however, lying at her side. That's right. She was touching the snow with her bare hands. Toph had an urge to see if she could feel any vibrations in the strange material.

Although her earthbending was useless out here, her highly sensitive ears still picked up on the snow crunching behind her. She would have lied if her body didn't stiffen, not exactly knowing who it was approaching her. Toph prayed to the spirits that she was overthinking things.

"Hey, Toph."

The master earthbender's body relaxed and her clothes became loose again. She hadn't noticed she was holding her breath in order to listen accurately. "Hi."

He came to sit next to her, taking the same position. "I see you've been playing with the snow."

Toph had heard the slight giggle in his speech and threw the white matter away from her. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

This time he really did laugh. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I am not nervous!" Toph crossed her arms. "Especially not around a meathead like you."

Sokka smiled but kept silent. Averting his eyes away from her and onto the vast amount of cottages in front of them, the water tribe warrior let his body put its weight on his arms behind him. "I heard you've been helping out with the celebration hall. The place is a mess."

"I mean it's the least I can do I guess. I was the one who brought the crazy assassin here."

Sokka nudged her. "You couldn't have prevented that if you tried, so don't even start going soft on me."

His arm hadn't been expecting the punch. He yelped in pain. Toph just smirked. "You never let me be nice. This is just more motivation to stay my stubborn and abrasive self. You can tell everyone it is your fault."

"When isn't it my fault?"

They laughed gently together. Toph's hands had somehow made its way back to picking up snow and shifting it through her hands. Sokka just watched while he continued the conversation.

"So Fen was shipped out this morning. He is on his way to the boiling rock."

"I thought the boiling rock was only for hard core criminals?" She gave him a confused look.

Sokka couldn't help but smirk. "He was going against a hard core person. That's the same thing right?"

"Totally." Toph laughed but her face fell just as quickly. "I really am sorry though."

He groaned. "Will you stop apologizing? It's tiring to hear."

"No. If I hadn't come down here, or accepted the arranged marriage, your village would not have been destroyed." She hugged her knees.

He put a hand to her back. "Toph, first off, only the celebration hall was destroyed and it's no big deal. Second, there is no way that I would have let you gone through with that plan."

As friendly as she could, she shook off his hand. "I should have just listened to my dad."

"Do you hear yourself right now?" He was beginning to get angry.

Toph had sensed the fury in his voice which only prompted her to get mad as well. "I'm just being practical."

"Screw being practical. Toph, that isn't you. You ended a war, you invented metalbending. You are not going to be defined by an arranged marriage. You're better than that."

She faced him, blank eyes gazing in his general direction. "Yeah, that's great and all. I'm a war hero. Big whoop. But let's face it. Everything would have just gone smoothly if I never decided to go here."

"Look here, Toph-"

"For the last time, I can't!"

"Can we not joke around this time? I'm trying to be serious."

"Please proceed then!" Toph leaned back and turned her head away from him.

"Damnit, Toph! Can't you see that you are thinking about something that wouldn't make you happy?" Sokka softened slightly as the conversation with Katara suddenly came back. "You have to make the decision that will make you most happy. I know for sure that marrying Ru won't do that."

"And who are you to tell me what will and will not make me happy?" Toph had a fierce scowl on her face.

Sokka pushed his hands towards his chest. "Because I'm your best friend. I know you, Toph. I know that earthbending is your passion. I know that you love breaking rules. I know that you love sweets. I know that you are happy sleeping on the earth. I know that you are perfectly happy not caring about your appearance, but you are a beautiful woman-"

"Wait, what?"

He saw her surprised face but didn't let it faze him. "That's right. You're beautiful, Toph."

When no snarky comeback came out of her mouth, Sokka continued ranting.

"All your life, you have been doing everything that makes you happy. You didn't listen to everyone else because you were sure of what you wanted. So why is it that this time you are going back on your word?"

Toph groaned in frustration. "You are such an idiot, you know that?"

"Even that! That right there!" Sokka pointed at her. "You are especially happy insulting me. Punching me, picking on me, stealing my food. I don't get it, Toph."

"Obviously, choosing not to marry Ru and coming down here was the worst decision ever. Did it make me happy the first few days? Definitely. But everything that happened yesterday, that wasn't worth it." Toph huffed as she had been speaking in one breath.

"It wasn't-"

"Shut up!" The earthbender got up and began walking in a random direction. Sokka just followed closely behind. "The next time someone says it wasn't my fault, I'm going to strangle them! It _was_ my fault that he celebration hall was attacked, it _was _my fault that you guys had to come and rescue pathetic little me, it _was_ my fault that you fell over the ledge, and it _would _have been my fault if you fell and died!"

Before Sokka could retort back, Toph's body suddenly fell to the ground. Because of this, the water tribe warrior tripped over her feet and fell right on top of her. They groaned in unison at hitting the ice hard. After a few seconds of disorientation, their bodies worked in sync once more as they went rigid.

"Uh, you kinda fell."

Toph rolled her eyes. "Thank you Captain Obvious."

"I didn't do it this time."

"Got it."

"…"

"…"

"Do you mind getting off me?"

He was making his way to move, when he suddenly remembered something. At once, Sokka plopped his body back down on her. She gasped.

"What do you think you're doing."

He smiled devilishly. "I remembered. I still have to ask you a question."

She was silent for a few seconds before the familiar scowl returned to her features. "Do you think you can ask me without all your weight crushing my body?"

"Nope." His words came out slow as his mind was half occupied by the proximity of their faces. From this distance, he could see every curve and edge of her face. Sokka tried talking the best he could with the most difficult distraction inches away from him. "What makes you the most happy?"

If it was possible, Sokka could feel the discomfort radiating through her body. She kept her face stoic. There was no way he was going to get up until she gave a genuine answer and he could tell if it was.

"Sokka, get off."

The use of his actual name blew right past his head. "No. You aren't getting out of this one."

"Really. Get off, Sokka."

The second time hit him. He stared into her milky jade eyes trying to find an answer. Sokka quickly and carefully got up. He offered her a hand but she didn't have any intention of taking it. The two stood facing each other.

"Listen, if you haven't figured out what makes me really happy, then maybe it should just stay like that. It's been far too long and I think I need to move on." Toph began walking back luckily towards the direction of the celebration hall.

Sokka wouldn't let her go that easily. He needed to know something. To make telling her his next set of news easier.

"Do I make you happy, Toph?" He stood his ground in the snow when she halted. "Do I make you happy…at least as a friend?"

"What do you mean 'at least'?" She didn't turn around.

"It's the least I want to be to you."

Toph punched Sokka so often enough that he had gotten used to the pressure and feel of her fists. He wouldn't admit it, but it helped increase his pain tolerance in a way making battle much easier. However, nothing in his entire body would have ever anticipated her answer. Out of the years that he had known Toph, not one single one of her punches hurt like this.

"No."


	14. Chapter 14

"Really?"

Toph stealthily brought her left hand to wipe the stray tears that were building up in her eyes. Her voice remained unfazed by the emotion obvious on her face. "You don't make me happy as a friend."

"Alright."

There was a lapse in the conversation. Not one of them moved from their spot, yet neither spoke a word. When one of them did move, it was when Toph shivered slightly. Sokka didn't say anything of it but he changed his stance into something stronger. Even though his heart was in shatters, he needed to tell her, friends or not.

"I'm staying here. When you guys leave."

He swore he saw her cringe. Her hands remained near her face as far as he could tell, but Toph still refused to turn to him and speak to him face to face. Her legs were still mid stride, in that exact position. "That's…great."

Any hope that Sokka had that Toph didn't really mean what she had said earlier was thrown out the window. "That's all you're gonna say?"

"What do you want me to say? This seems like the place that makes you happy. That's great."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Sokka grabbed at his hair.

Toph spoke with more fury. "What do you want me to say!?"

"I want you to tell me that this is a bad idea! I want you to tell me that things won't be the same if I stay down here! I want to know that I am your friend! I thought I was your friend, Toph! We were supposed to be best friends!"

"Well, I guess you really just don't understand things then, Snoozles. Have a nice time in the South Pole." She was walking away again but this time Sokka wasn't going to let her run away. As much as Toph told everyone that she was the greatest earthbender in the world, the girl liked to run away from her problems like her opposite element. But not this time. He told himself that Toph was going to talk to him now because there sure wasn't going to be any other time that will be convenient.

Sokka ran to her and grabbed her wrist. With just the right amount of power, he made her turn towards him and he grabbed her other wrist before she can pull away again. Blue met milky green and if Sokka thought his heart couldn't break any further, it did at the sight of her beautiful face.

Although she tried turning her head away, Toph's eyes were red with emotion. They stung with pain both literal and emotional to which Sokka did not know the source. Realizing that she had been wiping her tears away the entire time she was faced away from him, he allowed his hands to let go of her own arms so that he can grab her face to brush the continuing streams away. The metalbender's face tensed at the feeling of his gentle hands. She froze, captured by the gesture that Sokka was performing. It didn't stop the tears, but only caused them to fall faster. Sokka had no idea what he was doing to her._  
_

He knew that she was fast, but the water tribe warrior had not even seen her hands coming. The callused hands pushed hard against his chest and they separated at once. They fell to the ground on their butts, shocked by what had just occurred.

"Stop it!"

He just looked at her. "What's wrong, Toph?"

The master earthbender heard him approach her again and she began to shuffle backwards. "Sokka, just leave me alone. Please."

Anger fueled his response once more. "No, Toph! You are going to tell me what's wrong and you are going to tell me right now!"

"Of course I don't want you to stay here! I don't want you to stay here because it would mean I couldn't see you anymore."

"Toph," Sokka held the bridge of his nose, not understanding her hypocritical response. "minutes ago you were saying good bye to me and now you are saying that you need me to go with you? You are so confusing!"

She responded back with the fight she usually argued with. "You are such an idiot you know that?!"

Sokka yelled. "And now you're insulting me? Toph. You're making no sense right now!"

"Can't you see, Sokka?!"

The intensity of the conversation suddenly cut in half. Sokka just sat there looking at Toph trying to breath correctly as she cried in front of him. She inhaled with anger, but exhaled with sadness. Her eyes were filled with pain, pain that seemed to have been plaguing her for awhile now. All this frustration, all the outbursts, seemed...in time. Sokka's instinct told him that she has been meaning to say whatever she is about to say. So what did he do?

He made a joke.

"Is that supposed to be a blind joke?"

Instead of the tension cutting into another half, Toph's fuel seemed to have ran out and she slumped into the snow. There was no more power to be strong. There was no more time she could waste. She was giving up. "You can't even take me seriously."

"I do-"

"No. No you don't. You never have, Sokka. You honestly have never taken our relationship seriously. This," Toph waved back and forth between them. "can't work because let's face it, this never could happen, right?"

"What are you-"

"And you know what's even more sad? You don't even know what I'm talking about. It's been four years. Four long years of hoping, wishing, praying, and worst of all dreaming. Dreaming was always the worst because it always seemed so real. But in reality what you say to me, in my dreams, never happened."

He waited for her to continue. When several seconds past, he asked quietly. "What do I say? In your dreams?"

Toph wiped her nose with her sleeve, the tears coming back with a vengeance. "You tell me that I'm beautiful. And not just to be nice. You tell me I'm beautiful because you really do think so. You tell me I am easy to talk to. You tell me you admire the things I've accomplished, something my parents can't even tell me to my face. You tell me I make you laugh on some of our toughest days, because let's face it, we have had way too many of them. You tell me I'm the only one to make you happy and forget how young we actually are. We aren't supposed to feel this tired, Sokka. Not at this age. But I feel so tired. So tired of waiting on something that will never come."

"I-"

"Sokka, you aren't stupid. Even if I tell you you are all the time. So please," She clawed at her sobbing eyes. "don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I am _so_ tired."

He didn't speak. He couldn't because he was presently watching the strongest person that he had ever known crumble before his eyes. Sokka was scared. Toph wasn't supposed to be sobbing, practically rocking back and forth in front of him. Toph was the strongest tree among the forests that had been burned during the comet. Toph was the wave that sailed them out of the storm. Toph was the metal that she had worked so hard to bend.

And so, the hardest thing to grasp about this whole situation, was that Sokka was the one that had tortured her all these years.

He would be lying if he had said he had not known about Toph's crush on him. When they were still dating, Suki had mentioned the small blushes on Toph's face when he said or did something that ultimately flattered the young earthbender. Blinded by one of his first loves, he had thought nothing of it, deeming it as cute. When he and Suki had finally broke up, Sokka's attitude stayed the same. Toph must have just had a crush and had gotten over it by now. So they remained acting like friends, Sokka still blind to the still existing blushes that appeared on Toph's face every now and then.

But these past few days, helping her around the South Pole and getting to talk to her seriously, now it was Sokka telling himself that Toph and him would never happen.

Now, Sokka knew that Toph had been telling herself that for the past four years.

"You don't make me happy as a friend, Sokka."

The water tribe warrior still didn't reply.

"You make me so happy that I...I...I-"

He was right. It was amazing. Toph' eyes widened at the feeling of his lips on hers. She didn't know how he had gotten to her so fast, she didn't know why he didn't say anything beforehand, and she didn't know why he did it. Their mouths stayed immobile, savoring the feeling of their lips together. However, Sokka brought his hand gently to the left side of her face. His thumb gracefully rubbed her cheek with such delicateness that the shock slowly left Toph's body. He kept at it, encouraging her that it was real. His left hand came to her right hip and he squeezed it, making her feel the slight pressure from the force. He needed to convince her that this was all real.

Suddenly, Toph began moving her lips under his. Knowing that she was inexperienced, Sokka led the dance this time.

_"Alright, give me your hand."_

He shifted his lips to kiss her again and again. He let his tongue lick her lips, asking to be let in.

_"So, you just put your hand there."_

Toph obliged and let him complicate their intimate routine. He tasted so good, just as she had dreamed.

_"And then what?"_

Her hand came to the back of his neck, pulling him closer to deepen their dance. Sokka smiled against her lips. She was a natural.

_"Then we just…hold with our free hands."_

Sokka pulled her closer, letting their bodies come together. She fit perfectly, allowing him to feel every part of her against him. They kissed, and kissed, biting, sucking, tasting. The feeling of her hands caressing him rather than punching him was amazing. The longing that was slowly killing Toph inside was finally demolished and once again, Sokka has made her beyond happy, like he always has.

When they finally parted, Sokka spoke with his words warming her face.

"I love you too."

They didn't move. Sokka stayed put because Toph stayed put. He was waiting for a reaction from the earthbender. But she didn't budge. She remained unmoving, their faces touching and Sokka could feel her breath as she inhaled and exhaled.

"I'm going to wake up soon, aren't I?"

Sokka looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

Toph sighed loudly. "This a dream, right? I'm just sleeping in my room."

"This isn't a dream, Toph. I promise."

She didn't reply.

He tried something else. His brilliant mind had went to work once more. "Have I ever said I love you in any of your dreams?"

Sokka hated seeing the sorrow flash across her face. "Not even in my dreams."

"Well then," he came in for a quick kiss letting their lips taste each other once more. "This is real, Toph. I love you."

A minute passed by before her arms came around his neck and Toph crushed him in a hug. Sokka couldn't help but laugh and just wrap his own arms around her small waist that he could clearly feel under her coat. Her sigh tickled his ears. "Well, why didn't you just say so, Snoozles?"

"Me? What about you?" He chuckled into her hair.

A saddened expression came onto her face. "I don't even know if all of this really happened."

His hand was back to her face, brushing her cheek. "It is, Toph. What am I going to do to convince you?"

She only pulled him back to her body. "It's been four years. Four years of trying to move on. It isn't exactly something I can brush off."

And in a way, Sokka knew that Toph was being honest. They weren't going to just fall into each other's arms and have the full capacity of trust that Aang had for Katara or that Zuko had for Mai and vice versa. No, these things will take time, because they had to face it: they weren't just any couple. They were Toph and Sokka.

So, Sokka did the only thing that would fix all of it.

"I'm still staying here in the South Pole."

Toph pulled away. "What?"

Sokka brushed her hair away. "Just for a month. I'll help my dad rebuild everything down here and be back just in time for your birthday."

"A month?" Toph's scowl began to come back to her face. "I just confessed everything that I've been feeling for the past four years. How is now a good time to be separated from each other?"

"Because you can't say it back yet."

Even though the way she cocked her head to the side was beyond adorable, Sokka stayed strong. "Say what?"

"That you love me, Toph. You don't trust me like that yet. You don't trust this yet. But don't worry about hurting my feelings because I know you do love me. It's just going to take some time." He allowed himself to smile at her as her expression changed from anger to uncertainty.

The master earthbender swallowed hard. "W-Well, it's just kind of hard. It's not that I don't-"

"Toph," Sokka brought his lips to her cheek and let his lips linger on her soft skin. He spoke straight into her ear. "You're fine. You gave me four years. I'm more than happy to give you at least a month."

"Do I make you happy, Sokka?" She was also whispering.

"More than you know."


End file.
